A Chicago man charged with robbing a Lincoln Square bank on Monday may want to consider a different line of work—once he’s out of prison, that is.
For the fourth time since 2009, Victor Delfi today was charged with bank robbery in federal court.
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| Delfi’s bank robbery career continues its downward spiral Monday. | FBI |
An FBI agent told the court that Delfi approached a teller at the Albany Bank, 4400 North Western Avenue, around 9 a.m. on Monday and said, “give me your money….No dye!” The teller turned around and saw a man wearing a nude nylon mask over his face at the teller counter, the agent said.
Delfi stuffed $1,340 into his bag and walked toward the exit where the bank security guard blasted Delfi with pepper spray, “tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him,” according to the federal complaint.
As CWBChicago reported exclusively on Monday, Chicago police got a jump start on the robbery after a witness flagged down officers to report that a man wearing a mask had just walked into the bank.
The officers rushed to the bank and found Delfi already lying on the floor in handcuffs, according to the FBI.
Delfi was treated and released for shoulder pain at a nearby hospital, the FBI said. He later waived his Miranda rights and admitted to robbing the bank, according to the criminal complaint.
Delfi had good reason to mention that he didn’t want a dye pack on Monday. The three other times he’s robbed banks, the tellers included explosive packs in the money—ruining his opportunity to spend the loot.
In June 2009, Delfi woke up, bought a pair of pantyhose, put them over his face, and robbed a Lincoln Park Savings branch. He was arrested when he later tried to deposit dye-stained money into his own bank account, according to court records.
After serving a portion of a 33-month sentence for the hold-up, Delfi was released. And he quickly set about robbing two more banks—both of which gave him money with explosive dye packs inside, according to reports.
He was arrested when cops searching for the latest robbery suspect found Delfi sitting in a house with a backpack full of red-stained cash.
A court gave Delfi a 6-1/2 year sentence for the 2012 heist. He was released early and then failed to show up for a post-release appointment this summer.
