Charges Filed in “Citibank Bandit” Investigation

June 14, 2010 - Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was joined today by Jody P. Weis, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), and Thomas Dart, Cook County Sheriff, in announcing that an arrest has been made in the “Citibank Bandit” investigation.

DAVID MIKEC, age 34, of Chicago, was arrested late Friday afternoon by CPD officers, after robbing the Harris Bank branch, located at 1000 North Lake Shore Drive of approximately $1300. MIKEC was followed by bank employees into the lobby of a nearby hotel, where he was detained until police officers arrived. MIKEC was charged in a criminal complaint filed earlier today in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of bank robbery, which is a felony offense.

According to the complaint, MIKEC entered the Harris Bank branch around 4:30 p.m. and approached the teller counter. When he noticed that there were no tellers at their stations, he reached over the counter into an unattended drawer and grabbed some cash. He then turned and fled the bank on foot. Several bank employees heard a loud crashing sound, which apparently was MIKEC reaching over the counter. Realizing that MIKEC had taken some currency, two bank employees who were working behind the teller counter began yelling at MIKEC, which alerted two other bank employees who were seated in the lobby.

The two lobby bank employees gave chase and followed MIKEC into the Drake Hotel, which is located across Michigan Avenue from the bank. Once inside the hotel, one of the bank employees was joined by hotel security staff, who confronted MIKEC as he exited from a men’s room located on the first floor. MIKEC allegedly tried to push his way past the bank employee and security staff, but was stopped and held on the floor until police arrived. No injuries were reported during the robbery.

MIKEC was later turned over to members of the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF). Subsequent investigation by the VCTF developed additional evidence linking MIKEC to the robbery and the filing of the charges announced today. Though not charged with any additional crimes, MIKEC is a suspect in a string of as many as 15 robberies and attempted robberies of Chicago area banks, dating to February of last year.

MIKEC appeared before Magistrate Judge Susan Cox, earlier today, at which time he was formally charged. MIKEC was ordered held without bond, pending his next court appearance, which is scheduled for June 22. Until then MIKEC will be held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. If convicted of the charge filed against him, MIKEC faces a possible sentence of up to twenty (20) years' incarceration.

This case was investigated by the Chicago FBI’s VCTF, which is comprised of FBI special agents,dDetectives from the Chicago Police Department, and investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police.

Additional information about this and other recent Chicago area bank robberies, including downloadable photographs, is available at the Bandit Tracker website, www.bandittrackerchicago.com.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Copies of the criminal complaint filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.