‘Finding Steve McQueen’ was loosely based on a Youngstown gang
The Mahoning Valley, specifically the city of Youngstown, has been associated with organized crime since the dawn of the steel mills that came to banks of the Mahoning River in the late 19th century.
Many times Hollywood moguls have touted the Valley’s linked to the mob.
In 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, “Finding Steve McQueen” debuted in theaters.
Who starred in ‘Finding Steve McQueen?’
The flick, which starred Forrest Whittaker, was loosely based on a Youngstown gang going to California in late 1972 to knock off a bank which presumably had money former President Nixon had stashed to hide his illegally obtained campaign funds. Former Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa had told mobsters he gave Nixon $3 million to get him out of prison.
The Youngstown gang headed by Amil DInsio, reportedly told local mobsters they were going to the west coast to rip off Nixon. The movie should have been titled “All of the President’s Money!”
By 1972 Dinsio and his gang which included brother James, were considered the most prolific and successful bank burglars in the country. The tip was that $30 million of Nixon’s slush fund money was being held in a vault at the United California Bank in Laguna Niguel, Calif.
The Youngstown crew cut a hole through the roof to bypass any alarms. From there, they dropped down to the roof of the concrete vault where they drilled holes and placed explosives, blowing a hole in the vault’s roof. To muffle the explosion, dirt sacks were placed on top of the holes.
How much did the gang earn?
Over three nights, the crew emptied between 400 and 500 safety deposit boxes, garnering about $12 million.
The only reason the Dinsios got caught was because they later performed a similar bank robbery closer to home and when they were in California they didn’t run the dishwater in the rented home where they stayed. Authorities after catching the crew after the second bank robbery, matched their the prints to the ones they found on the dirty dishes.
The story is also told on the “Crooked City” podcast created by Max Smerling, the creator of Crimetown and The Jinx.
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