CHICAGO — The FBI says a man who robbed three banks this month told arresting officers that he did it so he could buy gifts for the holidays. But a federal complaint says he told a bank employee he was doing it because he was way behind in his rent payments.
Davell Luster, 55, is formally charged with robbing a bank in Morgan Park this week, but an FBI agent’s complaint linked him to two additional holdups since December 3, one of which allegedly netted him just $93.97.
Luster allegedly did much better than that during his first robbery at PNC Bank, 8700 South Cottage Grove, on December 3. The FBI agent said he sat down with a banker to discuss a loan, but the loan officer became suspicious because Luster offered short, vague, one-word answers to their questions.
“I know the protocols,” Luster allegedly stated at one point, demanding $5,000 and saying he knew the banker had to give him money.
“I have people watching the branch,” he told the banker while reaching into his pocket and saying he didn’t want anyone to get hurt, according to the FBI complaint.
He eventually walked out with $5,000 cash but warned the banker not to call anyone about the robbery for an hour.
A week later, on December 10, Luster scored a measly $93.97 when he robbed Chase Bank, 712 East 87th, in Chatham, the FBI agent said. While discussing loan possibilities with Luster, a banker noticed he was wearing black rubber gloves.
“I demand $10,000. I have a weapon,” Luster allegedly announced, explaining that he was $9,500 behind on his rent.
The FBI agent said the banker advised Luster to leave because he had not yet committed a robbery, but Luster persisted and eventually got away with the paltry sum. Once again, he allegedly told the bank employees to wait an hour before calling the police.
Finally, around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Luster entered PNC Bank, 10701 South Western, and told the greeter that he wanted to speak with someone about a mortgage, the FBI agent alleged. No loan officers were in the bank at the time, so the receptionist gave Luster a pen and pad of paper to write down his contact information.
When Luster returned the paper, a demand note was allegedly written on the pad: “Charles Richland. I’M not REALLY here for this I WANT $5,000 with All this DEMAND MEET NO Silent Alarm until after I leave iN 3hRs AND Go Back out WEST KEEP EVERYthiNG Causual NO signs or Alerts.”
As the bank worker read the note, Luster allegedly told them, “I only want $5,000.” The agent said one of the bank’s tellers slipped a GPS tracker into a stack of cash, which they handed to Luster.
Chicago cops followed the tracker’s signal and arrested Luster on a Pace bus about two blocks north of the bank. They said they immediately suspected he was the robber because he was wearing the same clothing as the robber and he had a bunch of cash in his hands. The FBI agent reported that Luster had $8,258 on him at the time of his arrest.
He initially refused to speak with detectives at Area Two police headquarters, the FBI agent said. But, about 15 minutes after he asked for a lawyer, Luster told a detective that he wanted to speak with them. He proceeded to confess to all three robberies, according to the FBI agent’s complaint.
The agent said Luster told police he was “under stress and was trying to buy people gifts for the holidays.”
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