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. | 2111 West Roosevelt Road |
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August 17, 2006 |
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SUSPECTED "FAT ALBERT" ROBBER, TWO OTHERS, CHARGED IN BANK ROBBERY SPREERobert D. Grant, 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 MARVIN E. McNEELEY, age 61, whose last known address was 1521 South Wabash in Chicago. McNEELEY, who is suspected of being a serial bank robber dubbed the "Fat Albert Bandit", was arrested on July 25th, without incident, by officers of the CPD, following the armed robbery earlier that day of the First American Bank branch, located at 1241 South Wabash in Chicago. McNEELEY was charged in a criminal complaint filed on July 28th in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one (1) count of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, McNEELEY and two others, subsequently identified as CURTIS STEWART, age 27, whose last known address was 7230 South Yates in Chicago and JEFFERY OWENS, age 39, whose last known address was 14427 South Dobson in Dolton, Illinois, conspired together to rob the First American Bank branch. The complaint also alleges that the three men attempted to rob two other banks that same day, specifically the Bank of America branch, located at 1167 North State Street in Chicago and the Chase Bank branch, located at 3115 Ridge Road in Lansing, Illinois. McNEELEY was turned over to the FBI following his arrest by the CPD. OWENS and STEWART were both arrested on different dates and at various locations, by the members of the Chicago FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF). OWENS was charged in a separate complaint filed in Chicago on August 7th and STEWART was charged in a third complaint filed on August 11th, following extensive investigation into these robberies by the FBI's VCTF. The "Fat Albert Bandit" is a serial bank robber that had been the subject of an extensive investigation by the FBI's VCTF since April of this year. He was suspected in as many as eight armed robberies of Chicago banks between October 2005 and May of 2006. He was dubbed the "Fat Albert Bandit" due to his physical characteristics which resembled the cartoon character by the same name. Although no additional charges have as yet been filed, McNEELEY, OWENS and STEWART are suspected of involvement in as many as a dozen armed bank robberies in the Chicago area during the past three months. On June 3rd of this year, the "Fat Albert Bandit" was featured on the WFLD-TV news segment Chicago's Most Wanted". After apparently seeing himself profiled on the show, McNEELEY changed his pattern of robbing banks by enlisting the aid of OWENS, STEWART and possibly a third confederate. McNEELEY abandoned his previous pattern of quietly approaching a teller and passing a note announcing a robbery to planning more dangerous "take over" robberies. McNEELEY, OWENS and STEWART have all had an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Chicago. All three were ordered held without bond, pending their next scheduled court appearance and are being held at the Metropolitan Correctional center (MCC) in Chicago. If convicted of the charges filed against them, each faces a possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison. The Chicago FBI's VCTF is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the CPD and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff's 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: Copies of the criminal complaints filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 829-1199.
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