A Baton Rouge, La., man, known to law enforcement authorities as the “Granddad Bandit,” pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Richmond to robbing 26 banks in 14 states, including two in Virginia.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said Michael Francis Mara, 53, entered the plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck and will be formally sentenced May 11 by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer.
“Mr. Mara’s incredible crime spree came to an end because of a tip from the public,” Mr. MacBride said. “The FBI put together a concrete case tying a string of robberies throughout the country to one man. Once we got the final piece needed, we were able to catch an elusive criminal and hold him accountable for his crimes.”
Mara pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count. As part of a plea agreement, 18 other federal jurisdictions have relinquished jurisdiction for 24 other robberies committed between 2008 to 2010 in 13 states other than Virginia. The defense and government jointly recommended a prison sentence of 300 months in a plea deal.
According to a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Mara admitted to robbing at least 26 banks throughout the country, including two in Virginia, in a similar manner, and many of the robberies were caught on surveillance video. He admitted entering each bank, giving a bank teller a note announcing a robbery and demanding various sums of money.
Once the demands were met, the statement said, Mara would take back the demand note and leave the bank quietly. He admitted in court that he stole $83,868 in cash through his robberies.
After a bank robbery on June 22, in Glen Allen, Va., the FBI coordinated an extensive fugitive publicity campaign through the use of digital billboards to solicit help from the public in identifying and locating the man it dubbed the Granddad Bandit.
On Aug. 2, the Norfolk, Va., FBI field office got information from a tipster who identified Mara as the robber and provided, among other things, photographs. These were compared with surveillance footage, Investigators found consistent key identifiers between the surveillance images and the photographs of Mara, including a hat, eyeglasses and wristwatch that appeared to be identical.
“The FBI’s partnership with the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) was vital in identifying the Granddad Bandit and ending his criminal career,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Morehart, who heads the bureau’s Richmond field office.
“The use of OAAA’s cross-country digital billboards led to a tip from a concerned citizen and through persistence and solid investigative work by all involved, Mara was identified and arrested,” he said. “Innovative criminals such as Mara provide a challenge to law enforcement, but with coordinated efforts of local, state and federal agencies and with the assistance of our community partners — such as OAAA — criminals will ultimately run out of luck.”
• Jerry Seper can be reached at jseper@washingtontimes.com.
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