Anthony Curcio arrived at the University of Idaho in 1999 as a promising wide receiver. A torn ACL ended his football path and led to painkiller dependence. He says losing his athletic identity made the slide worse.
In 2008, during the financial crisis, he planned an armored-truck robbery in Monroe, Washington. He posted a fake Craigslist ad to draw decoy workers in matching gear. Disguised with a painter’s mask and mustache, he pepper-sprayed a guard, grabbed two bags of cash, and fled. His getaway involved an inflatable tube on the Skykomish River. He paddled away to avoid the main roads while carrying approximately $400,000.
His run ended after a homeless man reported a suspicious practice run, recorded Curcio’s license plate, and turned over the gear leftover during the practice. Police matched the DNA from the gear when they caught him using the license given to them.
He served five of six years in medium- to low-security prisons. After release, he reconciled with his wife, wrote self-published sports-themed children’s books, and began speaking to students about addiction and accountability. He also delivered a TED Talk at Idaho and wrote a book that told his experience.
Curcio frames the heist as the result of addiction and a lost sense of self, not a thrill. Idaho’s bowl resurgence makes him reflect on what he threw away. He’s grateful for a second chance but says he has to keep doing the work so he isn’t remembered only as the man who robbed a bank and escaped on a tube.
