Super interesting. How is it that we don't hear about such cat-and-mouse games anymore? Do they not happen or are they not talked about? It seems like it's a thing of the past, but why?
Because it doesn’t usually work out. Most of the time if you’re asking for physical cash to be transferred you’re going to get caught especially today given the miniaturization of electronics for trackers or beacons. It’s just too easy to follow whatever truck is being used to move the money and large amounts of money is quite bulky. You could maybe see some come back because of cryptocurrency and like the other reply said you could say that ransomware attacks is the modern day equivalent of this kind of extortion.
Exactly, mostly cellphones and high-tech surveillance has made the FBI's job much easier. That and today when everything is labelled 'terrorism' they get some friendly help from the intel community. Where in that case even hiding in a bunker in Pakistan next to a military base is only saving you a number of years.
In this casino story they already had a 6-person SWAT team flying high enough not to be detected, above the helicopter doing the planned cash drop. While the solo helicopter pilot was a special agent armed with an MP5 and night vision, and a bag with fake $3 million of bills and every intention to catch or shoot the guy picking up. All of this was organized while the timer of the bomb was ticking down.
Given the low odds, it's boils down to an over-complicated suicide mission, with high risk of it not working out. Nor any point even if does. With the financial system also under a ton of surveillance and the involvement of his family and even one of their girlfriends.
It's no wonder that this sort of thing has become a rarity even for the clever ones like this guy.
Ransomware is also a better sort of arbitrage against the legal system. If you somehow got caught and prosecuted you didn't do a violent crime, so that has to probably help you somewhat. Of course you did do a federal crime so you have to serve 85% of your time no matter what.
I think we gotta take a step back and find something with some data; I offered pulled-from-my-ass conjecture and you countered with anecdotes. We gotta actually find a study or something of how much time people actually serve.
Bit of a stretch, but I think it can be attributed to the overall reduction in crime since the early 90s, most likely brought upon by the elimination of lead in gasoline.