A man has been arrested for allegedly robbing two suburban Chicago banks in recent weeks, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Antonio E. Collins of North Riverside was charged with robbing a Chase Bank branch in Bolingbrook, on Dec. 21, 2021, and a BMO Harris Bank branch in Homewood on Jan. 3.
In each robbery, Collins allegedly handed the teller a handwritten note demanding money and stating that he would shoot people if the teller did not comply, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Collins received about $2,868 from the Chase robbery, and approximately $21,836 from the BMO Harris heist, the complaint states.
Collins, 26, was arrested on Jan. 6 The complaint charges him with two counts of bank robbery. A detention hearing in federal court in Chicago is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 3 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani.
The arrest and charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
Substantial investigative assistance was provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, and police departments in Bolingbrook, Homewood, North Riverside, Evergreen Park and Orland Park.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andréa Campbell.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each bank robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. sentencing guidelines.