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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation

In Reply, Please Refer to Release No.

219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604

January 29, 2004 Search Intensified for "Wheaton Bandit" Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Mark Field, Chief of the Wheaton, Illinois Police Department; Richard Willing, Chief of the Carol Stream, Illinois Police Department; and Douglas M. Riner, Chief of the Winfield, Illinois Police Department are asking for the public's help in identifying and apprehending the individual depicted in the attached photographs, who is believed responsible for the robbery of as many as eight banks and credit unions in the Wheaton area, dating back to January of 2002. Dubbed the "Wheaton Bandit," as six of the banks that have been robbed were in the far western suburb, these thefts have been the subject of an exhaustive investigation for the past six months, which has been conducted jointly by the FBI's Lisle office and the Wheaton and Carol Stream Police Departments. Investigators from the Winfield Police Department have joined in the search, following the robbery last week of the Health Care Credit Union, located at 27 West 460 Chicago Avenue in Winfield. In his most recent theft, which occurred on January 22nd, the robber entered the credit union at approximately 5:30 PM, brandishing a semi-automatic handgun. He orally announced a robbery and threatened credit union employees with harm, should they fail to comply with his demands. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, he fled the scene on foot. The robber was wearing a black winter parka, black ski mask and gloves. Witnesses have described the "Wheaton Bandit" as being a white/male, 20-30 years of age, 6'- 6' 4" tall, medium build, with blue eyes. Although he has worn different clothing during each robbery, he has always used a hat, hood or scarf to help conceal his identity. He has also been armed with a semi-automatic handgun during each of the robberies, which he has used to threaten bank employees. Thus far, no shots have been fired and no injuries reported during any of these thefts. According to witnesses, the "Wheaton Bandit" has utilized a late model Chevrolet Impala, dark blue in color, to escape from at least one of the robberies. "We are especially anxious to identify and apprehend this individual,"said Mr. Kneir. "Based on the way that he's handled his weapon and given commands during the robberies, we feel that he might have either law enforcement or military training, making him even more of a threat to the community." Craig Kelbus, Loss Prevention Manager for West Suburban Bank, added "Our primary concern remains the safety of our customers and employees. We'd like to see this individual apprehended before something more serious occurs." In making this appeal for help, Mr. Kneir indicated that a previously announced reward of up to $5,000 is still being offered by the FBI for information that leads to the identification and arrest of this robber. A similar reward for information leading to a conviction was previously offered by the West Suburban Bancorp, and is still in effect, making the total amount offered up to $10,000. A detailed listing of the robberies that the "Wheaton Bandit" is suspected of having committed is attached. A special hotline has been established by the task force investigating the "Wheaton Bandit." Anyone recognizing this individual or having information about any of these robberies is asked to call the Lisle FBI at (630) 577-3466. EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional copies of the attached photographs are available from the Chicago FBI Press Office, either by courier or e-mail, at (312) 786-2645.

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