Crimehub: A True Crime Podcast · Crimehub Studios

The Perfect Heist

·50 min·1 clip

That Friday, on July 11th, the day after his 20th birthday, Ted made his move.

This two-part narrative follows Theodore John Conrad, who at age 20 robbed Society National Bank of $215,000 in 1969 and assumed a new identity as Thomas Randall. The episode explores Ted's origins—born to a Navy officer, intelligent (IQ 135), elected student council president, enrolled in college, but ultimately seeking excitement beyond suburban normalcy. Working as a bank teller, he identified security gaps, was inspired by the film The Thomas Crown Affair, and orchestrated a clean heist on July 11, 1969. He walked out with cash in a paper bag while carrying cigarettes and whiskey as cover. The crime went undetected until Monday. Ted disappeared into a new life as Thomas Randall, married, had a daughter, became a successful car salesman, and lived 50+ years of respectability. Only on his deathbed in March 2021, diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer, did he confess his true identity to his family.

As heard by us

A patient bank heist story that makes the disappearance feel stranger than the theft.

This is less a crime story about theft than one about restlessness. Thomas Randall, later known as Ted Conrad, comes across as bright, bored, and ready to disappear, so the crime feels less like a shock than the end point of a long drift.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For the bank heist where an empty apartment and a clean getaway matter as much as the missing cash.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Crimehub: A True Crime Podcast