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. |
219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 |
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September 29, 2006 THREE ARRESTED IN ATTEMPTED LISLE BANK ROBBERY Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and David E. Dial, Chief of the Naperville, Illinois Police Department (NPD) announced today the arrest of threemen in connection with the attempted robbery yesterday of the LaSalle Bank branch, located at 4707 Center Street in Lisle. DERRICK J. LESAIN, age 42, of Chicago; LORENZO OLIVER, age 42, of Aurora, Illinois and TONY D. HARRIS, age 40, also of Aurora, were arrested by FBI Special Agents and Officers from the NPD outside the bank, as they were allegedly preparing to enter the bank and commit a "take-over" robbery. All three men were charged in a criminal complaint filed earlier today in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one (1) count each of attempted bank robbery, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, the FBI and NPD, along with the Geneva and Aurora Police Departments, have been investigating a series of at least five (5) armed "take-over" style bank robberies that have occurred in the western suburbs of Chicago since December of 2005. In all of the prior incidents, two armed robbers with concealed identities would enter a bank and take control of the facility. A stolen sport-utility type vehicle was used as a get-away car during each of the robberies. On September 23rd, a Jeep Cherokee was reported stolen from a health club in Aurora. The vehicle was subsequently located by the NPD, parked in a nearby Burlington Northern Railroad lot. Prior and subsequent investigation linked this vehicle to the suspected robbers and a physical surveillance of the stolen Jeep was established. On the morning of September 28th, three individuals, subsequently identified as LESAIN, OLIVER and HARRIS, were observed picking up this vehicle and driving away. They were followed to Lisle, where the three appeared to be casing the LaSalle Bank branch. At approximately 10:30 AM, they stopped in front of the bank, with LESAIN and OLIVER exiting the stolen Jeep and approaching the bank, wearing black ski masks and armed with handguns. HARRIS remained in the stolen Jeep, apparently acting as the get-away driver. FBI Special Agents and NPD Officers then moved in, arresting all three men. HARRIS and LESAIN were arrested in the parking lot of the bank, while OLIVER attempted to flee the area. He was apprehended a short distance away after several shots were fired at him by NPD Officers. OLIVER was not struck by any of the discharged rounds and no injuries were reported during the arrests. Weapons belonging to the subjects that were recovered at the scene of the arrests turned out to be pellet guns. In announcing the arrests, Mr. Grant commended the Naperville Police Department for the exemplary efforts put forth by their Detectives, which led to the arrest of these three individuals. Mr. Grant also wished to express the gratitude of the Chicago FBI to the U.S. Marshal's Service and the Chicago Police Department for the vital role that they played in this investigation. "The arrests announced today are just another in a continuing series of successful investigations conducted jointly by the FBI and our law enforcement partners" said Grant. LESAIN, OLIVER and HARRIS appeared in U.S. District Court in Chicago,
earlier today, before Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown. They were
all ordered held without bond, pending their next scheduled court appearance.
If convicted of the charges filed against them, all three men face a
possible sentence of up to 20 years incarceration. |
