FBI Arrests Suspected Glen Rock Wig-Wearing Bank Robber Michelle Cantatore
GLEN ROCK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A woman believed to be the wig-wearing bandit responsible for an armed bank robbery in Glen Rock, New Jersey has been caught, according to officials.
FBI agents arrested Michelle C. Cantatore, 51, of White Plains, New York Thursday at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
She faces one count of bank robbery, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Cantatore lives a short distance from a Chase Bank she was convicted of robbing in 1995, CBS2's Lou Young reported. A heist that got her 18 months in prison.
On Feb. 18, the Glen Rock Savings Bank was held up by a person wearing a red wig and brandishing what appeared to be a long-barreled handgun.
Authorities said the suspect walked into the bank, pointed a gun at the teller and demanded money before making off with approximately $112,900 in cash.
Police recovered a paintball gun matching the description of the weapon used in the robbery about a block away wedged next to a pole, officials said.
Sources said Cantatore is also a suspect in connection with the robbery of a Greenwich bank on Jan. 30 and a Darien bank on Feb. 24, CBS2 reported.
Neighbors talked to Young about the arrest.
"There's got to be a motive for it. I don't know what it is...maybe she couldn't handle the job," said Ossining resident Joe Forte.
When Young said, "They did arrest her at the Borgata," Forte replied, "That answers your question."
"I thought, honest to God when I first looked at it, I thought it was a man with a wig," said Shirley Forte of Ossining. "I guess not -- that's quite a difference."
Described as a black widow and dangerous woman, a source who knows Cantatore said she's good at changing her look and making a good impression when necessary, Young reported.