Madison Elizabeth Hogan is an award-winning journalist and content strategist based in metro Atlanta. A graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington, her writing has appeared in Yahoo News, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and the Marietta Daily Journal, among others. She’s the host of Robbery, Inc., a narrative true crime podcast that unpacks a 1974 Georgia bank heist through archival research, immersive storytelling, and incisive wit.
In this episode of Robbery, Inc., host Madison Hogan unpacks the origin story of Morris Lynn Johnson, the man behind the Cobb Exchange Bank burglary. As investigators piece together a trail of fake names, stolen vehicles, and eyewitness accounts, Johnson emerges as a career criminal with a growing rap sheet and a talent for escape. His actions would soon land him on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
In the aftermath of the Cobb Exchange Bank burglary, law enforcement follows a trail of tools, receipts, and eyewitness accounts to track down the suspects behind the tunnel job. Former bank president Neil Barfield recalls the shock of discovering the breach, while investigators close in on a man with a far more notorious past than anyone expected. This episode reveals the true identity of one of the most elusive criminals in American history.
Three men spent months tunneling beneath a busy Marietta street to blow through a bank vault floor undetected. What was initially dismissed as a comical failure soon revealed itself to be a meticulously planned heist with a much larger haul, with a trail of clues pointing to a criminal mastermind.
In 1974, a quiet Monday morning in Marietta, Ga., turned chaotic when a bank vault revealed a tunnel, a blast site, and a daring robbery straight out of a movie. Robbery, Inc. Episode 1: An Explosive Story unearths the mystery of the Cobb Exchange Bank heist and introduces the legend of a master thief whose true identity is just beginning to unfold.
In April 1974, a group of thieves tunneled beneath Roswell Street in Marietta, Georgia, and blasted their way into the Cobb Exchange Bank vault—only to be mocked for escaping with just $1,000. But as investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a far bigger mystery and the story of a career bank robber whose daring heists and prison escapes made him a legend. This is Robbery, Inc. from Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Marietta Daily Journal.
