A federal jury found a convicted bank robber guilty of committing another bank robbery in Round Lake Beach where he flashed a handgun and threatened to kidnap a customer while grabbing her.
Francisco Martinez, 32, of Des Plaines, entered the First Midwest Bank, located at 1777 North Cedar Lake Road in Round Lake Beach, around 4:21 p.m. on December 20, 2021.
Federal prosecutors said Martinez handed the teller a folded piece of paper that read, “40k, 30 seconds, no tricks, go now.”
Martinez raised his shirt and showed the handle of a black semi-automatic firearm tucked into his waistband, court documents said.
Prosecutors said Martinez also briefly grabbed a customer and threatened to take her with him from the bank.
The action came after Martinez saw one of the tellers try to trigger a panic alarm, court documents said.
The teller complied with Martinez’s demands and handed him cash. Martinez ran out of the bank through a west side entrance.
Martinez got away with approximately $40,000. Martinez was arrested in June 2022 and has remained in law enforcement custody since.
Martinez committed the robbery while on court-supervised release for a prior bank robbery conviction. He was charged in federal court with one count of bank robbery by force or violence in the latest case.
A jury in the U.S. District Court in Chicago on Monday convicted him of the bank robbery charge, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 29.