FBI links single robber to 14 bank holdups in Las Vegas Valley

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 1999 | 11:58 a.m.

String of robberies

Police and the FBI believe one man is responsible for these robberies:

U.S. Bank, 3600 block of South Maryland Parkway

Nevada State Bank, 200 block of North Jones Boulevard

Silver State Bank, 100 block of South Rainbow Boulevard

Community Bank, 1400 block of South Rainbow Boulevard

U.S. Bank, 1400 block of North Jones Boulevard

Nevada State Bank, 2300 block of East Windmill Lane

Nevada State Bank, 6100 block of West Tropicana Avenue

Bank of America, 4800 block of West Lone Mountain Road

Nevada State Bank, 8500 block of West Sahara Avenue

Wells Fargo, 1700 block of South Decatur Boulevard

Bank of America, 8500 West Cheyenne Avenue

Nevada State Bank, 1500 block of West Warm Spring Road

Pioneer Citizens Bank, 400 block of North Stephanie Street

U.S. Bank, 8500 block of West Lake Mead Drive

The FBI is searching for a man suspected in 14 Las Vegas Valley bank robberies this year -- a total making him one of the more prolific hold-up men for this area.

In most of the 14 robberies the FBI suspects he committed, the man showed the teller a checkbook with a note inside that read, "This is a robbery. No tricks."

The man did not use a weapon in the first 12 of the robberies, but in the Dec. 1 robbery of a Pioneer Citizens Bank branch in Henderson he showed what appeared to be a bomb during the holdup, FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey said.

Sometimes the man wore a suit during the robbery, sometimes a shirt and tie and other times a T-shirt and jeans. But in all the cases he was wearing dark glasses and a baseball cap -- apparently a different cap for each robbery.

"Historically, a couple of individuals have been responsible for 13 to 15 bank robberies in this area, so this guy has been as prolific as it gets here," Dickey said.

The Jan. 22 holdup of a U.S. Bank branch on South Maryland Parkway is the first robbery attributed to the suspect. Six months went by before another robbery was pulled with this man as the suspect, FBI officials said.

Then two holdups occurred in July, two in August and one in September that the FBI attribute to the same man, and he is suspected in three robberies in October and three in November.

"He's getting more brazen," Dickey said. "It would seem like there is an elevation in the number of bank robberies."

There have been 106 bank robberies in the Las Vegas Valley so far this year, compared with 87 at the same time last year. There were a total of 100 bank robberies in the area in 1998.

The suspect in the 14 robberies is described as white, in his 30s, 5 feet 8 inches tall with a medium build, brown hair and a scruffy brown beard.

Anyone with any information about the suspect or in any of the robberies is asked to call the FBI at 385-1281.