Alleged 'Straw Hat Bandit' Arrested, Accused Of 11 Bank Robberies
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- He was nicknamed the Straw Hat Bandit, a suspect who, for years, traveled through the Philadelphia suburbs robbing banks at gun point.
Now, Federal authorities say they have their man.
Investigators say 57-year-old Richard Boyle walked into nearly a dozen banks in Montgomery and Bucks counties over a period of four years, and took about a half a million dollars in cash.
"He is looking at over 200 years in mandatory prison time," said Acting U.S. Attorney Lou Lappen.
FBI Searching For 'Straw Hat Bandit' Targeting Pa. Banks
He says a grand jury indicted the Doylestown native, charging him with 11 counts of bank robbery and using a weapon during a robbery, and 10 counts of money laundering.
"He was laundering money through a photography business he had set up," Lappen explained.
Lappen says Boyle's crime spree began just after being released from prison for other bank robberies
"All of which occurred in the Philadelphia suburbs," said Lappen.
The thief was deemed the straw-hat bandit because of his unusual attire: usually a tan colored mask with a hat that looked like it was made from straw.
He is currently in prison, waiting for bail to be set.