Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to more than 14 Years in Federal Prison

Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges yesterday sentenced Renita Mount Rayner (53, Tampa) to 14 years and 7 months in federal prison for three counts of robbery of a federally insured financial institution and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The court also ordered Rayner to forfeit $8,028, traceable proceeds of the offenses. Rayner pleaded guilty on February 13, 2014.

According to court documents, on November 12, 2013, Rayner entered an Ocala branch of Alarion Bank, displayed a handgun, and handed a teller a note that read, “Have gun. Will use it. Give me all the money.” Once she had obtained $1,940, Rayner dropped the demand note and fled the bank in a red Honda automobile.

Detectives subsequently identified Rayner’s thumbprint on the recovered demand note. They also confirmed that Rayner’s car matched the description of the getaway vehicle. Days after the robbery, she was arrested on unrelated charges in the Tampa area. At the time of her arrest, Rayner had $1,602 in cash still inside of her purse.

Subsequent investigation showed that Rayner had committed at least two other robberies in the previous three months. On August 7, 2013, she walked into a Grow Financial Credit Union branch, in St. Petersburg. During that robbery, Rayner handed a teller a note that read, “Give me all your money, do not give a dye pack.” After obtaining $3,348, Rayner fled the credit union in the same red getaway car. When surveillance images of the robbery were released to the media, one of Rayner’s long-time friends recognized her as the robber and contacted authorities.      

On September 5, 2013, Rayner robbed a Dunedin branch of BB&T bank. In that incident, Rayner handed a note to a bank employee that read, “Give me all your money, I have a gun and I am not afraid to use it.” After taking $2,740, Rayner fled the bank. Investigators ultimately recovered from a nearby trash can the demand note, wig and sunglasses that Rayner had used as a disguise. Rayner’s fingerprints were found on the sunglasses. Her DNA was later identified on the discarded wig.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Marion County Sheriff’s Office; the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office; the City of St. Petersburg Police Department; and the State Attorney’s Offices for Marion and Pinellas Counties. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.