BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) — The man dubbed the "Granddad Bandit" by the FBI and suspected in 25 bank robberies across 13 U.S. states was captured Wednesday at his home after a lengthy standoff that ended peacefully, authorities said.
Police and FBI agents surrounded the home Wednesday morning and nearly six hours later walked out with a stocky, balding man with graying hair and glasses, who was surrounded by officers and put into a police car.
The FBI identified him to the public for the first time as 52-year-old Michael Francis Mara and arrested him on a warrant charging him with robbing a bank in Richmond, Virginia.
Last week, the FBI began posting pictures of the "Granddad Bandit" on billboards across the country, saying he was connected to a string of robberies dating back to a 2008 holdup of a SunTrust Bank in downtown Richmond. U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride in the Eastern District of Virginia credited the billboards with helping catch Mara.
According to an FBI affidavit filed Friday in federal court in Virginia, the FBI received a tip last week from someone who identified Mara as the robber and gave authorities photographs to match to bank surveillance videos.
A hat, eyeglasses and wristwatch were among the items that appeared to be identical between the photographs and surveillance footage, officials said.
The documents say Mara had worked — and may still work — for a vehicle transportation company, giving him the ability to easily travel to other states. Earlier this year, Mara rented a rental car for 52 days and logged 9,669 miles (15,560 kilometers), the affidavit says. During that time, three robberies in three different states were connected to the "Granddad Bandit."
The rest of his background wasn’t immediately known.
He is believed to have robbed banks all over the eastern and central U.S., including in Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, Kansas, New York, Florida, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri — but not in Louisiana.
It was unclear if the robber was actually a grandfather. FBI agents said the nickname was devised to help law enforcement and the public easily identify the suspect. "He just looks like everyone’s granddad," FBI supervisory special agent Amanda Moran said last week.
In the robberies, the suspect waited patiently in line and handed the teller a note demanding a specific amount of money. Sometimes, he made gestures indicating he had a weapon, although agents said there was no indication he ever actually used one. Once his demands were met, he exited quietly, fleeing on foot.
