Rocky McGibboney Book Cover

"The International Safecracker" a tribute to the Deering Estate at Cutler by Rocky McGiboney & Benjy Caplan. This book, a selected collection of stories from the upcoming complete version was printed by Alta Graphics this week. The book will be presented at the SoBay Festival of the Arts taking place at the Deering Estate at Cutler in South Miami today.

Here is the announcement:

At the age of nineteen, Rocky McGiboney was trained and mentored in the art of cracking a safe by the famed CIA operative and Watergate burglar Virgilio Gonzalez. Although McGiboney chose to use his skills for legitimate purposes, he experienced enough harrowing adventures and hilarious encounters over the next three decades, to inspire him to share the tales publicly in his recently published book, “The International Safe-Cracker.” Meet the author at the SoBay Festival of the Arts “Icon of a Moment” event.

The historic Deering Estate is directly connected with the safe cracker, because it is he who opened Charles Deering’s prohibition-era vault. In 1985, before the transfer of ownership of the property from the Deering family to the State of Florida, the family requested that the sealed vault door be opened. Early one hot August morning, McGiboney and his assistant, Jose Carminate, met the Estate caretaker and together descended a narrow staircase of the Stone House and found the cleverly hidden vault behind a bookcase. Illuminated by a single light bulb, McGiboney and his assistant began what became three days of intense work trying to solve over one million possible combinations.

“It was a work of art,” said McGiboney of the 1899 nickel-plated outer door. He described the black crane hinge, the Diebold safe and lock and intricate scrollwork decorating the vault. When he tried the dial it moved but was stiff, and he spent the first day just turning the dial, spraying it with lubricant and feeling for the tumblers.

In his book, McGiboney’s descriptions take you on a journey through some of Miami’s most infamous wild west DEA raids and homicide cases that took place in the 1980’s with the Cocaine Cowboys, to meeting the real ‘Scarface’ whose life was the model for the film character Tony Montana. Today, he still travels the world opening safes and vaults for the Fortune 500 companies, the cruise line industry, law enforcement agencies and wealthy clients with private art collections and yachts anchored in the luxurious Greek Islands.

Take a tour with McGiboney when he shares the incredible story of how he cracked the Estate’s vault and learn what treasures were uncovered during the author’s presentation and book signing.

Alta Graphics looks forward to working with Rocky on the upcoming complete version!