A string of robberies in the Chicago suburbs has come to a close as the federal jury delivers its verdict. Tarandle Lee, identified as the getaway driver for four separate heists involving banks and a credit union, has been convicted on all counts. The 45-year-old Bolingbrook, Ill. native now faces a future with the potential of up to 20 years behind bars for each incident.
Lee's partner in crime, Charles Lawler, contributed to these transgressions by entering the institutions and demanding money. The pair, a duo cemented in their shared criminal undertakings, robbed three banks and a credit union together with Lawler also taking on an additional bank on his solo venture, according to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Lawler, the 54-year-old from Villa Park, Ill., had previously entered a guilty plea ahead of the trial for the first three robberies and acknowledged his role in the last two crimes.
The series of robberies terrorizing the Chicago suburbs began on Sept. 22, 2021, at a BMO Harris Bank in Naperville, Ill., and continued through April 14, 2022, culminating in a heist at the DuPage Credit Union in Downers Grove, Ill. The week-long trial led to the federal jury's conviction of Lee on Wednesday, while Lawler awaits sentencing on March 11, 2025.
Judge Robert W. Gettleman has yet to schedule a sentencing date for Lee. Meanwhile, Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, together with Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, announced the convictions supported by valuable assistance from local police departments in Downers Grove, Bellwood, Woodridge, and Villa Park. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alejandro G. Ortega and Jonathan L. Shih, solidifying the justice narrative in suburban Chicago's recent memory.
