A Utah man stands accused of robbing two Chase Banks in the Salt Lake County area, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Robert Buckley Hardy, 47, was arrested following the issuance of a federal indictment and is scheduled for an initial appearance in court on February 21.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hardy's alleged bank heist spree began on January 30, when he entered a Chase Bank in Cottonwood Heights around 3:17 p.m. In a curious exchange, Hardy handed the teller a manila envelope containing documents that made cryptic references to government actions and included a threat asserting, "assume that this is an active bomb threat." The documents were aimed at attracting the attention of higher authorities, as one note stated, “I need $2001 for it to be considered a felony and get the un-kompromised FBI bank robbery division to respond.”
The saga continued with a second incident on February 6 in Salt Lake City, where Hardy again approached a teller with manila envelopes filled with documents and a typed note. Court documents quote the note declaratively stating, "poor people steal because they are hungry. Rich people steal because they are greedy." This time, Hardy explicitly instructed the teller to "please stuff at least $2001 into the bag for me. And make certain the FBI gets this." The teller complied, handing over the requested amount of money.
Hardy was eventually identified by authorities and peacefully taken into custody. Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti announced the charges, alleging Hardy of committing bank robbery. Hardy's identification was made possible through surveillance footage from the involved locations and a comparison to his Utah Driver's License photo. Kevin White of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is leading the investigation into this peculiar case.
