An 85-year-old former bank robber, Donald Bennett, was ordered Wednesday to serve 30 years in federal prison after a judge sentenced him for a multi-county string of bank robberies that ended with a Valentine’s Day 2024 heist. The case, which prosecutors say involved banks across several Chicago suburbs, marked a rare courtroom comeback for a man once known to local law enforcement by a notorious nickname. For neighbors and bank employees who remember the earlier spree, the new sentence underscores how prosecutors cast the saga as a return to violence rather than a late-in-life lapse in judgment.
Federal Conviction, 30-Year Sentence
Bennett was convicted by a federal jury in February 2025 on eight of nine counts tied to the robberies, and on Wednesday a judge imposed a 30-year prison term, according to ABC7 Chicago. Prosecutors said the verdict followed evidence linking Bennett to multiple holdups at federally insured bank branches. During sentencing, they highlighted his age, his lengthy criminal history, and the use of disguises and weapons in the recent robberies, arguing that the pattern left little room for sympathy.
How Feds Say The Spree Was Connected
Federal agents told investigators the robberies shared a consistent modus operandi, including disguises such as wigs and fake beards, a rental-car getaway, and threats to tellers, and they used phone and rental records to link the scenes, according to court filings and reporting. CBS Chicago reported the FBI tied the pair to robberies in Oak Lawn, Lombard, Willowbrook, Tinley Park, and Glen Ellyn between June 2023 and February 2024. Local coverage at the time noted that surveillance images and vehicle records were central to the investigation and to the arrests that followed the Hickory Hills heist.
Decades Of Convictions
Bennett’s federal record stretches back decades: he was convicted in 1989 for multiple Chicago-area bank robberies, served roughly 31 years, and was released in 2020 before the most recent string of crimes, according to ABC News. Court filings also reference a 1967 conviction in Kentucky for assault with a deadly weapon, a detail prosecutors brought up during sentencing to show a long-running pattern. Defense attorneys argued that Bennett’s advanced age and health should earn him leniency, but the judge pointed to the repeated use of force and the history of similar offenses in announcing the 30-year term.
Legal Context
Federal law classifies bank robbery as a serious felony and allows enhanced penalties when a weapon is involved, which is why sentences can stretch across decades. The core bank robbery offenses are outlined in 18 U.S.C. § 2113, while firearm-related mandatory minimums appear in 18 U.S.C. § 924, giving judges substantial sentencing power in cases like Bennett’s.
Co-Defendant Pleaded Guilty
Bennett was arrested alongside 55-year-old Edward Binert after the Hickory Hills robbery. Binert pleaded guilty in October 2024 and faces a separate sentencing date, ABC7 Chicago reported. Prosecutors have said the two met while serving federal time, and that partnership became a key thread in the FBI’s case. Court proceedings are expected to continue as judges finalize restitution orders and release conditions for the co-defendant.
