Feds: 81-year-old bank robbery suspect wanted to return to prison because of small Social Security payments



[ad_1]

An 81-year-old man who spent decades behind bars for a series of robberies at a bank said he'd stolen an Arizona credit union several months after he was released from jail because that his monthly payments of $ 800 to Social Security were too modest to live, according to court records.

In January 2018, Robert Francis Krebs entered the Federal Credit Union pyramid in Tucson without disguise. He would have put a BB gun – which looked like a handgun – on the counter and demanded money. He told the FBI agents that he "wanted to somehow get caught" so he could return to prison, court documents said.

Krebs' lawyers, who will turn 82 in July, said their client had reported symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. A neuropsychologist concluded that Krebs was not competent to stand trial because of his dementia. Two other experts accused him of embellishing his condition to avoid prosecution.

BANK ROBBER STRIKES IN ISRAEL, THREATENING DEVOTERS WITH AVOCADO, HE WAS CREATED A GRENADA

This archive photo released January 14, 2018 by the Tucson Police Department shows Robert Francis Krebs, who has a criminal record for stealing banks for decades. The 81-year-old is accused of stealing a credit union in Tucson in January 2018. In his latest criminal case, lawyers question whether Krebs is mentally fit to stand trial. (Tucson Police Department via AP, File)

This archive photo released January 14, 2018 by the Tucson Police Department shows Robert Francis Krebs, who has a criminal record for stealing banks for decades. The 81-year-old is accused of stealing a credit union in Tucson in January 2018. In his latest criminal case, lawyers question whether Krebs is mentally fit to stand trial. (Tucson Police Department via AP, File)

A judge will determine whether Krebs is competent to stand trial.

"They really can not survive outside," said William Rehder, a retired FBI burglary expert, who is not involved in the case against Krebs. "He's right, social security is probably not enough to maintain him and he has no prospect of income."

THE MAN LEAVES IDENTIFICATION WITH A BACKPACK FULL OF DRUGS, SAYS THE POLICE

Krebs served more than 30 years in prison for a bank robbery in 1981 in Florida, where he cashed $ 8,300. He was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzlement in 1966 in Chicago. Authorities said he stole $ 72,000 from a bank where he was employed as a cashier.

He served 17 more years for convictions for robbery and robbery in Arizona. He had been out of jail for six months when he allegedly robbed the Tucson credit union. He took $ 8,400, was arrested in a hotel and has been in custody ever since. He was charged with bank robbery for stealing the credit union and pleaded not guilty.

Krebs' lawyer, Leonardo Costales, said in the minutes that there was not enough evidence to show his client that he was competent to stand trial.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

JL Hunter "Red" Rountree, dubbed the oldest bank robber in America, was convicted of burglary at banks in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Mississippi, Florida and in Texas.

Rountree, who later died in prison at the age of 92, committed two robberies in the mid-1980s and was 91 at the time of his last flight.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source link