CHICAGO — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a man to more than 14 years in prison for robbing seven banks in Chicago and the north suburbs in less than eight months.
A jury convicted Haris Matchalovas, 41, in November of taking:
- $4,118 from BMO Harris, 3113 North Lewis Avenue in Waukegan, on November 24, 2021
- $13,525 from Parkway Bank, 39 North Morgan Street, on February 18, 2022
- $7.973 from Huntington Bank, 9449 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, on March 3, 2022
- $1,843 from Fifth Third Bank, 837 West North Avenue, on April 22, 2022
- $5,866 from Huntington Bank, 4042 West Foster Avenue, on May 10, 2022
- $2,166 from Huntington Bank, 4355 North Sheridan Road, on June 11, 2022
- $318 from Huntington Bank, 2485 West Howard Street in Evanston, on August 3, 2022
Matchalovas wore a surgical or cloth mask each time, carried a backpack, and wore distinctive grey gloves. Officials said he displayed a large knife in five robberies.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Matchalovas threatened to “stab the sh*t” out of the teller on April 22 because she started to cry during the robbery.
Among the evidence that allegedly links Matchalovas to the robberies, according to the FBI:
- Three getaway cars used in the hold-ups were registered to his parents
- His phone pinged near each of the robbery sites within ten minutes of each crime
- He wore a t-shirt “with the word ‘Champion’ written all over it” to the August 3 robbery, and he wore the same shirt for his Illinois driver’s license photo
Matchalovas began some of the robberies by making small talk, such as asking how much money was needed to open an account.
“Hello, ladies. I would like to make a withdrawal,” he told one bank’s tellers, “Give me your money.”
But Matchalovas threatened violence during some of the robberies.
“Do you want me to stab everyone in here?” He allegedly warned a teller at the North Avenue branch while brandishing a large knife. “Give me all your f*cking money.”
Prosecutors said Matchalovas stole five cases of cognac from a Costco in the north suburban town of Mettawa about 40 minutes after the robbery on August 3. Store surveillance footage showed that he was still wearing the Champion t-shirt.
Prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin to give Matchalovas a 188-month sentence while defense attorneys argued for 120 months. Durkin settled on 170 months—a little over 14 years— for each charge. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
