I received a 28-year federal prison sentence for being a serial bank robber. I was known to the FBI as the Plastic Bag Bandit. I don’t condone or brag on my run as a serial bank robber.
The following is an up close, raw personal account of one of my many robberies.
My palms were sweaty as I sat in a stolen car parked 50 yards away from the bank I was about to rob. It was early morning, and my mind was all over the place as I had a million thoughts running through it. How in the hell did I end up getting to this point in my life? Time was of essence. I could hold a pity party later. I made sure I looked around three times before I got out of the car. As I walked towards the bank, my nerves and mind kept messing with me. I kept thinking that everybody I walked passed knew what I was about to do, and was watching me.
As I shook off those thoughts, I quickly opened the door, and entered the bank. I scanned the lobby. I saw a fat white cop sitting on a stool to my left. He posed no threat to me, as he wasn’t paying me any attention. I saw the gun on his hip, but for some reason I wasn’t scared about being shot or him chasing me out of the bank.
After scanning the lobby of the bank, I calmly walked to the waiting line. I had on a purple hat, and pulled it down. I looked up, and took time to watch all the cameras mounted on the walls, and over each teller’s station. I was counting how long it took each camera to sway from left to right. They moved in a clock-type manner, slowly ticking from side to side. “Bingo!”
I noticed the camera to the far right was moving a little faster than all the others. I was taught by a mastermind on robbing banks how to spot decoys, and cameras that weren’t turned on. I found one. The teller with the decoy camera over her station called out, “Next”. I slowly walked to the teller, and asked the blonde college-age woman how her day was going. My stomach was doing backflips, but I remained focused on what I came to do. Then suddenly I heard, “Hello Sir, how may I help you?” I smiled, reached in my back pocket, and handed her a note. The teller smiled and opened the note. Thinking it was a check, her smile quickly turned to shock, and she turned red. I saw her reaching her hand under the counter to push the bank robbery button. “Baby Girl, I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” She stood straight up. I handed her a medium-sized plastic bag. She bit down on her bottom
lip, and quickly started filling the plastic bag with large stacks of bills. I saw the fat cop get up, and go to the bathroom. That was my cue to get the hell outta there. I hurried the teller by tapping the counter.
She handed me the plastic bag full of money. I slowly turned around and headed to the door.
As soon as I was 15 feet away from the stolen car, I took off in a full sprint. The car was hidden behind the house with large bushes. I reached the car and drove away. As I was about to turn the corner I saw the same blonde teller, and a bald, black man in the rearview mirror, running out of the bank with that fat cop – trying to get a glimpse of the back of the license plate. They were just seconds too late. I got on the freeway express ramp. As I was driving, I used a baby wipe to remove the makeup I had on my face: a fake mustache and beard. I got off the first exit, and pulled into a car wash. There, I wiped the stolen car clean with bleach, and checked the car twice for anything left behind. I then got into my car, which I had parked on the other side of the car wash, and drove off.
The plastic bag bandit got away again. I made it home, and did my usual after I robbed a bank in the morning: I took a shower and then a nap to calm my nerves. I woke up right before noon, made myself some lunch, and turned on the 60’ big-screen TV I had in the living room. I pressed the remote, and suddenly I had all the news channels shown in small squares. Channels 4, 6, 10, and Fox 28 News were all on. I sat back, turned up the volume, and ate my lunch, as I was glued to the different news channels. “Breaking News.”
“Live at the Blue Bank, FBI, and Columbus police are baffled about how the Plastic Bag Bandit keeps getting away from law enforcement. If you have any information, please call the FBI for a $25,000 reward.” I turned the TV off, emptied the plastic bag of money onto the table, and counted my early morning prize: $130,000. This was my 10th robbery, and now I had a name. I wanted to stop, but the addiction, and rush of fast money was too much. I was spinning out of control!
Advocate / Mentor
Leonard E. Love