A man who told investigators he robbed banks to pay for his daughter’s therapy instead spent the proceeds on shopping, food purchases, and a trip to Las Vegas, according to federal prosecutors. Now, a judge has sentenced German Campos Jr., 26, of Franklin Park, to 14 years in prison for a six-bank robbery spree across the Chicago suburbs.
U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin imposed the sentence on Wednesday after Campos pleaded guilty in March to federal bank robbery and firearm charges.
According to prosecutors, Campos robbed five U.S. Bank branches and one BMO Bank between October 2023 and August 2024, stealing more than $52,000 before his arrest.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Campos used a handgun in all but one holdup, “including pointing that gun into victims’ faces over and over again.”
The spree began on October 18, 2023, when Campos donned a mask, entered a U.S. Bank in Schaumburg, displayed a black handgun, and demanded money before ordering the employee to let him behind the counter. Campos handed the teller a bag, watched as she emptied her cash drawer into it, and fled with approximately $6,991, prosecutors said.
Two months later, Campos targeted a U.S. Bank in Elmhurst. He handed a teller a note demanding money and warning that the teller would be shot if they failed to comply, according to prosecutors. He left with approximately $5,532.
Campos returned to the Schaumburg bank on March 6, 2024, pulled a handgun from his waistband, pointed it at bank employees, and demanded money. The staff filled his bag with approximately $14,662 before he fled.
On June 13, 2024, Campos went back to the Elmhurst location carrying an Under Armour backpack in one hand and a handgun in the other. After placing the backpack on the counter, he demanded money from a teller and escaped with approximately $4,925, prosecutors said.
Less than two months later, on August 9, 2024, Campos robbed a BMO Bank in Park Ridge. At the teller counter, he allegedly removed a black handgun from the Under Armour backpack, laid the firearm on the counter with the barrel facing the teller, and demanded money. He left with approximately $3,858.
The final and most elaborate robbery occurred on August 28, 2024, at a U.S. Bank in Niles.
Campos allegedly entered carrying a handgun and the Under Armour backpack before immediately pointing the firearm at two employees and ordering them into the bank’s vault area. There, they encountered another employee and a customer. Prosecutors said Campos detained all four people while holding the firearm and demanding money.
After an employee explained that the cash was stored in teller drawers rather than the vault, Campos ordered everyone back into the lobby. One employee held open his backpack while two others filled it with $16,320 from their drawers before Campos directed everyone back into the vault area. Prosecutors said he then tried to lock them inside by closing the exterior metal vault door before fleeing.
Investigators arrested Campos about three weeks later. During a search of his apartment, authorities recovered a Beretta M9 9-millimeter handgun that prosecutors said was used in the robberies.
Although Campos had no prior criminal record, prosecutors argued that the repeated and escalating nature of the crimes warranted a lengthy prison sentence.
They also disputed Campos’ explanation for the robberies. After his arrest, prosecutors said, Campos claimed he committed the crimes because he needed money to pay for his daughter’s therapy. But a review of his bank records showed the stolen money was instead spent on food purchases, shopping expenses, and a trip to Las Vegas, according to the sentencing memorandum.
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