U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation

2111 W Roosevelt Rd.
Chicago, IL, 60608.
Phone (312) 421-6700

Chicago FBI Press Office

Phone: (312) 829-1199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 29, 2008

PAY STUB LEADS TO BANK ROBBERY ARREST

Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Jody P. Weis, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD); and Thomas Dart, Cook County Sheriff, announced today the arrest of THOMAS INFANTE, age 40, whose last known address was 13 Willow Circle in Cary, Illinois. INFANTE was arrested late Friday evening, without incident, by members of the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) following the robbery of the Fifth Third Bank branch, located at 4017 West Lawrence Avenue in Chicago.

INFANTE was charged in a criminal complaint filed earlier today in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one (1) count of Bank Robbery, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, INFANTE entered the Fifth Third branch just before 6:00 PM, approached a teller and handed her a note, announcing a robbery and demanding money. The note implied that INFANTE was armed and threatened the teller with harm, if his demands were not met. After receiving approximately $400 in cash, INFANTE fled the bank, leaving behind the demand note which was written on the back of a pay stub. The second half of the pay stub, which contained INFANTE’s name and address, was discovered outside the bank and was apparently discarded by INFANTE as he was fleeing.

Subsequent investigation by the VCTF identified INFANTE as the robber and lead to his arrest in Cary.

INFANTE appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys in Chicago, earlier today, at which time he was formally charged. INFANTE was ordered held without bond, pending his next scheduled court appearance, and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago. If convicted of the charges filed against him, INFANTE faces a possible sentence of up to twenty (20) years incarceration.

The Chicago FBI’s VCTF is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the CPD and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police 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: A copy of the criminal complaint filed in this case is available from the Chicago FBI’s Press Office at (312) 829-1199.