CHICAGO — A suburban man faces federal bank robbery charges after the FBI accused him of holding up a Citibank branch in the Loop twice in two weeks. Investigators identified Jason Paniagua after the first robbery but didn’t get around to arresting him until he robbed the bank at 69 West Washington a second time on Tuesday morning, officials said.
Paniagua scored $340 during the first robbery, which occurred around 12:39 p.m. on March 27.
“Give me everything in the top drawer, you’ve got three seconds to give me everything,” he allegedly told the teller while demanding $50 and $100 bills.
But when the teller reached for a drawer holding large bills, he instructed them not to reach down, so he only got $340 from the main teller drawer, an FBI agent said in a criminal complaint.
After the robbery, Paniagua allegedly changed pants inside a nearby synagogue and ditched other clothing steps from the bank’s front door.
He then enlisted the help of a hotel doorman to secure a cab ride to the suburbs, the FBI agent said.
The cabbie first took Paniagua to a liquor store in Harvey and then to the Starlite Motel in Lansing, where he had registered under the name “Joseph A. Diniggued,” according to the feds.
FBI agents interviewed the cabbie and the liquor store clerk, who immediately recognized Paniagua as “Cracker Jack” but didn’t know his real name.
Investigators also noticed that motel surveillance video showed Paniagua wearing a Psalms 91 hoodie with the word “MY” visible under his neck. The bank robber also had the word “MY” visible under other layers of clothing.
The day after the robbery, the liquor store manager saw Paniagua again and contacted the FBI, prompting them to dispatch Harvey police to intercept him. The cops found Paniagua at a bus stop and he identified himself by his real name, the affidavit said. But the police did not take Paniagua into custody.
Paniagua allegedly returned to the bank around 10:10 a.m. Tuesday. A teller immediately recognized him and tripped a silent alarm.
“Give me all your money, you have three seconds,” Paniagua allegedly told a second teller as he started counting down.
The teller handed over $100 in $5 bills and noticed that he was holding a toilet paper tube in his hand as if it were a gun, according to the FBI.
Officials said the bank manager followed Paniagua and saw him enter a cab. Cops quickly pulled the cab over and arrested Paniagua.
Officers allegedly recovered $50 in $5 bills from Paniagua and another $55 in $5 bills from the cab driver, who had received the money from Paniagua as fare payment.
The FBI agent said Paniagua admitted to robbing the bank on Tuesday because he had lost his job at Walmart. However, Paniagua denied robbing the bank on March 27.
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