A string of bank robberies in the Chicago suburbs has led to the indictment of 24-year-old German Campos Jr. of Franklin Park, Ill. According to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the indictment, which was returned on Wednesday, charges Campos Jr. with six counts of bank robbery related to incidents spanning from 2023 through 2024 and five counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
The federal grand jury indictment details six specific bank robberies, including two at the same U.S. Bank in Schaumburg and two at the U.S. Bank in Elmhurst, and reports indicate that Campos Jr. used a handgun to intimidate during five of these heists, the indictment includes allegations of armed robberies that took place across various dates and locations: beginning on Oct. 18, 2023, in Schaumburg, and concluding with an Aug. 28, 2024, robbery in Niles.
Campos Jr., who is currently detained by law enforcement, faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each robbery count and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years for each firearm count. An arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 24, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez. The official statement accentuates that an indictment does not equate to a declaration of guilt—Campos Jr. remains innocent until proven otherwise, and it is the government's obligation to establish his guilt beyond reasonable doubt during a fair trial.
Acting United States Attorney Morris Pasqual, together with Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI's Chicago Field Office, disclosed the indictment, acknowledging the support provided by local police departments in Schaumburg, Elmhurst, Park Ridge, Niles, and Franklin Park, which were instrumental to the investigation and eventual charges.
