Empire State

In the early 1980s, Chris Potamitis lives with his immigrant parents and younger sister in Astoria, Queens. The family faces economic stress when Chris' father is fired after ten years at a Greek social club, signaling harder times ahead for the household.

Chris attempts to join the New York Police Department but is rejected because of a prior marijuana conviction. This setback pushes him toward lower-paying, unstable work rather than a career in law enforcement.

Chris lands a low-paying job as a security guard with the Empire Armored Car Company. The job is plagued by lax security, poor morale, and no reliable records of cash handling, creating a risky environment. He begins to observe opportunities and weaknesses that will later have consequences.

During a robbery, Chris's partner is killed. The company compensates the deceased's family with only $5,000, far short of the $50,000 they are owed, highlighting the system's injustice.

Chris is demoted to night watchman after the incident. He secretly steals one of the money bags and gives some of the cash to his partner's widow, trying to help her in a difficult situation.

Chris reveals the money and the lax security to his loud-mouthed friend Eddie, who uses the information to impress gangster Spiro. Spiro stages a robbery, but detective James Ransome foils it in a gun battle that leaves two robbers dead. The close call plants the seeds for further criminal entanglements.

On December 12, 1982, Eddie breaks into the company vault by entering through the roof at night. He incapacitates Chris, then steals $11 million in cash, the largest cash robbery in U.S. history at that time.

After the heist, Eddie shares loot with Chris, giving him $3 million of the money. The gesture cements Chris's entanglement with Eddie and deepens the danger around the missing funds.

The FBI shifts its focus to the Five Families and expands its pursuit to Chris, Eddie, and their circle. Detective James Ransome decides that they must be investigated, increasing the pressure on everyone involved.

Eddie and his gangster friend Michael try to exchange $8 million of the loot for Colombian drugs, hoping to launder and expand their operation. The deal collapses and leads to a violent shootout between Michael and the Colombian dealers. The incident exposes how loosely controlled the loot has become.

Spiro demands that Chris turn over the money, escalating tensions. Ransome arrests Eddie and questions him about the others, but Eddie refuses to talk and is released.

Chris tells his friend Nancy that the money is supposedly hidden in a statue they had given to his mother. He and Eddie had once given the statue as a gift, and the claim of the loot being inside prompts dangerous speculation. The revelation sets the stage for future attempts to recover or guard the funds.

Eddie confronts Chris with a gun and demands the money. Chris's father shoots and wounds Eddie just before the police arrive, and all three men are arrested. The confrontation marks the collapse of their criminal scheme and the end of their hope for an easy payoff.

Chris and Eddie are released from federal prison on October 10, 1991. The money remains unrecovered, and their long-ignored project of escaping consequences continues to haunt them.

Despite the release, the $11 million stash remains missing and never recovered. The case ends with a lasting legacy of broken lives and unresolved greed.