Serial Bank Robber Dubbed the “Old Man Bandit” Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, announced yesterday’s sentencing of Steven Gass, 55, of Miami Springs, on six counts of bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a). U.S. District Court Judge James I. Cohn sentenced Gass to 156 months (13 years) in federal prison.

On May 7, 2010, Steven Gass pled guilty to the following six robberies: the May 2, 2009 robbery of AmTrust Bank, 3600 West Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL; the July 22, 2008 robbery of Bank Atlantic, 6568 Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, FL; the November 3, 2009 robbery of First Bank, 1220 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL; the December 2, 2009 robbery of HSBC Bank, 2199 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL; and the April 17, 2008 and June 25, 2008 robbery of Bank of America, 3900 South Ocean Drive, Hollywood, FL.

According to the factual proffer filed during the plea, during each robbery, Steven Gass entered the bank and presented the tellers with a demand note, stating that he wanted cash, was armed, and would shoot the tellers if they did not comply. Fearing for their safety, the respective victim tellers complied with Gass’s demands. As well, in addition to the six robberies to which he pled guilty, Gass admitted in the factual proffer to robbing another 15 South Florida banks, including:

Bank of America, 9760 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach, FL, on 4/21/2008;

Amtrust Bank, 3600 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL, on 6/27/2008 and 11/04/2008;

Wachovia Bank, 1489 S.E. 17th Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on 7/25/2008, 9/24/2008, and 4/6/2009;

Bank Atlantic, 19631 State Road 7, Boca Raton, FL, on 5/8/2009;

HSBC, 2 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL, on 5/20/2009;

Wachovia,1395 Brickell Ave., Miami, FL, on 6/19/2009;

Citibank, 3660 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, FL, on 8/22/2009 and 9/25/2009;

Mercantil Bank, 8181 SW 117 Street, Pinecrest, FL, on 10/08/2009;

Bank of America, 11205 S. Dixie Highway, Pinecrest, FL, on 1/11/2010;

Wachovia, 6905 Lake North Rd., Green Acres, FL, on 2/9/2010;

Iron Stone Bank, 3055 N. 9th Street, Naples, FL, on 2/16/2010.

In total, between April 17, 2008 and February 16, 2010, Steven Gass was responsible for the robberies of 21 banks, netting him a total of approximately $136,758 in stolen money.

“Financial institutions that were victims of Steven Gass and the employees and customers who were present during the robberies can rest easy now that he is off the street,” said Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies of the FBI’s Miami Division. “Investigating 21 bank robberies in four counties is not an easy task, so I commend all the police departments, task force officers, and FBI agents for a job well done.”

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the numerous local police departments involved in this joint investigation. This case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton.