The FBI may have thought Michael F. Mara looked grandfatherly when they dubbed the serial bank robber the “Grandad Bandit”.
Wait til he gets out of prison. They may want to consider changing his nickname to the “Great Grandad Bandit.”
Mara, 53, of Baton Rouge, La., was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Richomond, Va., to 25 years in prison for robbing 26 banks in 14 states, authorities announced. He was also ordered to pay $83,868 in restitution.
“Mr. Mara stole tens of thousands of dollars in a brazen crime spree that included robberies in more than a dozen states in just over two years,” said U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride. “One robbery alone is a very traumatic experience, and it takes a long time for the victim to feel safe going to work. Thanks to the great work of the FBI and an alert public, Mr. Mara will spend the rest of his productive life behind bars as punishment for his extensive crimes.”
Authorities said Mara admitted entering each bank and providing a bank teller with a note announcing a robbery and demanding various sums of money.
After each robbery, Mara would retrieve the demand note and exit the bank quietly, authorities said. He admitted netting a total of $83,868 in cash in the robberies.
