U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation |
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| In Reply, Please Refer to Release No. |
219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 |
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April 23, 2004 Suspected Serial Bank Robber Arrested Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Philip J. Cline, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Michael F. Sheahan, Cook County Sheriff, announced today the arrest of GERALD DELANO WILSON, age 63, whose last address is unknown. WILSON was arrested earlier today by members of the Chicago FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), without incident, at Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center (formerly Northwestern Station), located at 117 North Canal Street. WILSON has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt since mid-2003, when he was charged with the robbery of nine (9) banks in New York City. Recently, the focus of the search for WILSON centered in the Chicago area, where he has been charged with the November 2003 robbery of the MB Financial Bank branch, located at 1 South Wacker Drive in Chicago. WILSON is also a suspect in as many as five (5) other robberies in the downtown Chicago area. WILSON was spotted by VCTF members as he attempted to board a Metra train bound for Wisconsin. At the time of his arrest, VCTF members were conducting a planned physical surveillance at the Ogilvie Transportation Center. This surveillance was part of an ongoing effort by the VCTF, to locate and apprehend WILSON. WILSON is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier at 3:00 PM today, at which time he will be formally charged. If convicted of the charges against him, WILSON faces a possible sentence in excess of 20 years incarceration. The Chicago FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the Chicago Police Department and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department. 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: A copy of the complaint filed against WILSON is available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645. |
