Serial bank robber spent money at taverns to ‘escape his loneliness,’ defense lawyer sys

6 months ago 46
The bank robber hands over a note before fleeing with a bag of cash at Huntington Bank, 4355 North Sheridan. (U.S. District Court records)

CHICAGO — A man who prosecutors said has a “long history of theft and fraud related criminal activity” has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for robbing three banks on the North Side. But his defense attorney said he’s simply a lonely man who used the money to build friendships at taverns.

Federal prosecutors said Dennis Hammel, 65, committed a fourth bank robbery, too, getting away with six rolls of quarters. They didn’t charge him with that heist.

Between September 2022 and July 2023, Hammel robbed Huntington Bank branches inside Jewel-Osco stores, officials said. He presented a note demanding money each time and saying “nobody gets hurt” if employees comply.

The robberies began on September 22, 2022, inside the Jewel at 4335 North Sheridan.

“This is a robbery. I have a weapon give me some cash, no dye packs, follow my instructions, and nobody gets hurt,” read the note Hammel presented to a teller. He got away with $2,410.

Hammel got six rolls of quarters when he robbed the Huntington Bank at 4042 West Foster on February 6, 2023, prosecutors claimed.

Bank surveillance images show Hammel robbing Huntington Bank, 3531 North Broadway. (FBI)

He struck again on April 20, 2023, inside the Jewel at 3531 North Broadway in Boystown: “This is a robbery no dye pack, just give me some cash and nobody gets hurt.” Officials said he scored $3,400 that time.

Finally, on July 13, 2023, Hammel returned to the Sheridan Road branch and took another $2,172.

Before he even reached the counter, one of the tellers noticed a birthmark on his neck and immediately suspected that he was the man who robbed the Boystown location, according to the federal complaint.

The teller activated a silent alarm and watched as the man placed a note on another teller’s keyboard: “THIS IS A ROBBERY, I HAVE A WEAPON, NO DYE PACKS, NO TRACKING DEVICES, JUST GIVE ME SOME CASH, AND NOBODY GETS HURT”

Officials say this is what police found when they opened Hammel’s duffel bag after the robbery. (U.S. District Court records)

The complaint said the second teller slipped a tracking device into a stack of cash and handed it to Hammel. Chicago police officers followed the tracker. Near Broadway and Grace, the cops pulled over a CTA bus that seemed to be moving in sync with the bank’s GPS device.

The officers boarded the bus and found Hammel sitting in the back, gripping a black duffel bag that, thanks to the bank’s tracking device, was emitting a “chirping” sound.

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Hammel had been involved in thefts and frauds since he was 25, amassing 14 felony convictions.

But Hammel’s defense attorney argued for leniency, saying he has never married, has no children, and has essentially been alone since his parents died in the early 1990s.

“While leaving the banks, Mr. Hammel did not make reckless getaways in fast cars. He departed on Chicago Transit Authority buses and would later go to a tavern where he would seek to connect with individuals in an attempt to form some sort of friendship and escape his loneliness,” the defense attorney wrote.

Ultimately, U.S. District Judge Nancy Maldonado sentenced Hammel to 65 months in prison and ordered him to pay $7,042 in restitution.

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