Bank robberies are a federal crime, and that’s enough to keep most people away from the act. They don’t want to deal with the FBI, so they leave the banks alone. Not everyone feels that way though. That’s obvious when you look at the sudden rash of bank robberies that have hit the San Diego area. In a span of two weeks, five banks were robbed, and the FBI is still looking for the suspects.
All of the robberies took place in San Diego County, with one in San Diego, one in San Marcos, and three in El Cajon. Four of the five robberies were similar in nature. In each of those four, a still unidentified male walked into a bank and went up to a teller. Once there, he demanded cash, which he received. He then made the same demands to a second teller. After receiving money from the second teller, he quickly left the bank on foot.
One man took part in all five bank robberies, while a second man took part in the last one. No one noticed any weapons in any of the robberies. Pictures of the two men are being circulated in the area, and the FBI hopes to find them soon.
Bank Robbery Laws
Since bank robbery is a federal crime, the penalties are the same regardless of where you live. If found guilty, people are subject to twenty years in prison or a fine. They can also end up having to pay a fine and do time as well.
It’s even worse if an assault occurs or someone uses a weapon to intimate people. Then, the judge can put the person away for 25 years. That’s even true if the robber uses a toy gun.
Finally, if the robber kills someone during a robbery, he or she could get the death penalty.
Those are big penalties when you consider that bank robberies typically only net people a few thousand dollars. In fact, the monetary loss is so small that it isn’t much of a concern to banks. Instead, the heads of banks worry about the psychological impact of the robberies.
The cash might not be much of a concern to the banks, but it is to the robbers. In fact, that might be why they continue to do it again and again. They don’t make enough, so they have to keep going back. The more they go back, the more likely they are to get caught. By the time they hit a bank for the fourth time, it is extremely likely they’ll be caught.
Don’t Face the Federal Government on Your Own
The federal government has a lot of resources, and they’ll use them all if they think you’ve committed a federal crime such as a bank robbery. If you try to defend yourself, it is highly unlikely you’ll have a good outcome. Get the help of a San Diego criminal defense attorney. Choose one that has experience in federal crimes so you can get the type of defense you need when fighting against the federal government.
Kerry L. Armstrong
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