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 30, 2004 Three Charged in Bank Robbery Spree 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 DEBRA BRACEY, age 43; JANIS HAYNES, age 41; and CURTIS CUNNINGHAM, age 49; all of whom reside in the 8300 block of South Paxton Street in Chicago. All three were arrested yesterday, without incident, following the attempted robbery of two south side banks. BRACEY, HAYNES and CUNNINGHAM were all charged in a criminal complaint filed this morning in U.S. District Court in Chicago with two counts of attempted bank robbery, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, HAYNES entered the Bank One branch, located at 122 West 79th Street in Chicago, shortly before noon. She approached a teller and handed her a note, demanding money and threatening the teller with harm, if her demand was not met. After obtaining approximately $1,700.00 in cash, HAYNES attempted to flee the bank but was apprehended by an off-duty CPD Officer, who was working at the bank as a security guard. HAYNES did not appear to have been armed during the robbery and no injuries were reported. HAYNES was subsequently turned over to the Chicago FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), who conducted additional investigation linking HAYNES to an attempted robbery, earlier in the day, of a Bank One branch, located at 3145 South Ashland in Chicago. Evidence was also developed linking both BRACEY and CUNNINGHAM to these attempted robberies and BRACEY to the April 19th theft from the Bank One branch at 3145 South Ashland and the April 16th robbery of the Bank One branch at 122 West 79th Street. All three appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier this afternoon, at which time they were ordered held without bond, pending their next scheduled court appearance. If convicted of the charges against them, all three individuals face 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 in this case is available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645. |
