- "They're hitting the ReadyQuick check-cashing spot. This morning. Bunch of us. Right after the truck makes the Friday drop, we're gonna rob the place."
- ―Jake Nelson[src]
The Robbery of the ReadyQuick Check Cashing was the first criminal endeavor pursued by Jigsaw's Crew, with the intention to steal a recently delivered payload of three hundred thousand dollars. Due to the success of the robbery, despite their getaway gone awry, this prompted the crew to expand their operations and criminal activities across New York City.
Background[]
Billy Russo escaped from medical custody and became a citywide fugitive[2], turned to a motley of various military veterans at McFeeney's, ultimately deciding to pursue a life of crime together, to which Russo was the ringleader.[3] The group was later tipped off a transport amounting to three hundred thousand dollars to the ReadyQuick Check Cashing, and began preparing for the heist by doing practice runs.
One of the crew members, Jake Nelson, was kidnapped by Punisher and Curtis Hoyle, who sought to apprehend Russo. Nelson was tortured by Castle and fessed up to the robbery plans. However, as the two arrived to their warehouse confront Russo, he and the crew already left to commit the robbery.[1]
Robbery[]
ReadyQuick Check Cashing[]
The money transport arrived at the establishment and two civilians entered the bank, only to be followed by the masked and armed Jigsaw, Bobby and Mike, who swiftly incapacitated the bank's security guard and held the two civilians in line at the counter hostage. When negotiating with Lillian, the bank's manager, about opening the door to the payload, she began bluffing to Russo and the robbers, claiming that the door was set on a timer.
Jigsaw attempts to intimidate the staff
Growing increasingly impatient with Lillian's attitude and resistance to comply with his demands, Russo and the bank robbers attempted to spook her and the staffing behind the counter into opening the door by threatening to use a fragmentation grenade. Despite this, Lillian remained overconfident and began mocking the robbers from behind the counter, even though everyone else was tempting her to open the door, including Anton Reed, who had claimed that the door was insured.
The bank robbers zip tie the hostages
Finally, Reed, who was actually Russo's inside man, who was supposedly in the scenario, a scared staff member, pressed the button to open the door, much to Lillian's confusion and annoyance. The crew proceeded with the robbery, bagged up the three hundred thousand dollars from the bank's vault, and zip tied the remaining clients and staffing, but not before Russo took Reed, claiming him to be their hostage.[1]
Chase[]
As they were leaving the bank, Jigsaw saw what he presumed to be Jake Nelson. Jigsaw began berating him for being late to the robbery, he was stunned to realize that actually it was really Punisher wearing the vest that plagued Jigsaw's nightmares. As Punisher killed both Mike and Geno, Jigsaw was grabbed by his crew, and drove off.[1]
While Punisher was under fire by Todd, he gave chase to Jigsaw in the crew's initial getaway vehicle, as he was determined to seek closure from their previous engagement, which was left unsettled. Curtis Hoyle, who was told to idle in his car while Punisher dealt with the robbers, saved him from death and the constant siege of gunfire by disarming Todd from his position on the rooftops and incapacitating him. Realizing that Punisher was the direct cause of all his agony, an overwhelmed Jigsaw angrily ordered José to stop the car in the middle of the street, while arming a machine gun, for he was preparing for a gunfight.
Curtis Hoyle misses a chance to kill Jigsaw
Punisher paused after Jigsaw's car screeched to a halt on the street. Confused by the apparent betrayal of one of his best friends, Jigsaw demanded answers from Punisher to confirm his suspicions that he was responsible for all the scarring on his face. Punisher, who perceived Jigsaw as an enemy, admitted to doing so with haste. Jigsaw then went in a fit of rage, unleashing his wrath by furiously firing his gun violently in Punisher's vicinity, going against the urges of his robber comrades.
Punisher faces off with Brett Mahoney
As both Punisher and Jigsaw exchanged gunfire, the New York City Police Department led by Brett Mahoney interfered, which also ruined Hoyle's opportunity to kill Jigsaw with a sniper. Jigsaw's failure to kill Punisher despite engaging in an extensive, prolonged gunfight, prompted him to escape with the rest of his crew, as he was not willing to be arrested. As per Punisher, Mahoney gave chase to him and cornered him into an alleyway. While attempting to arrest him, Hoyle came from behind him and aimed at Mahoney the rifle he took from Todd earlier. This allowed Punisher to make a swift escape from the police.[4]
Aftermath[]
Anton Reed gets shot in the head by Jigsaw
- "None of it! None of it matters! All this? All this was Frank Castle!"
- ―Jigsaw[src]
At the rendezvous point, the surviving crew members negotiated over the Punisher's arrival at the scene of the robbery, and some, including Bobby and Anton Reed directly blamed Billy Russo for not preparing them against his interference. Russo then swiftly shot both Bobby and Reed in the head, and instilled fear in the surviving crew members, including José, to not speak up against him. Motivated for revenge against the Punisher, Russo proposed to the rest of his crew to expand their criminal operations by taking on New York City.[4]