Florida bank robberies are at the center of a new federal case alleging that a previously convicted serial robber donned an elderly disguise to strike again in the Tampa Bay area, according to prosecutors.
David Sartin Jr., 40, of St. Petersburg, was arrested in September after investigators tied him to two bank holdups where the perpetrator wore a prosthetic “old man” mask, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a statement.
Florida bank robberies detailed in complaint
The first incident occurred on the afternoon of August 24 at a bank in Largo. A man in a straw hat, sports coat, and gloves approached a teller and demanded cash, adding “no dye packs,” according to a criminal complaint.
The teller handed over 2,900 dollars and triggered a silent alarm. The suspect placed the money in his coat and left.
A bank manager reported the man twice urged the teller to “hurry up” and said “Until we meet again” before departing. The manager said the suspect wore a prosthetic face with a thin gray beard.
Investigators said the robber parked a car near the bank and switched to a bicycle to arrive at the scene. After leaving with the cash, he rode the bicycle back to the car and drove off.
The vehicle was later observed heading toward Sartin Jr.’s residence, prosecutors said.
Weeks later, on the afternoon of September 15, a bank in St. Petersburg was robbed under similar circumstances. Wearing a sports coat and gloves with a flat cap and glasses, the suspect handed a note to a bank employee identified as “Witness 3” that read something like “Cash, no dye,” the complaint states.
About 2,500 dollars was surrendered and the robber fled. The witness believed he wore an “old man” mask and noted he did not move like an elderly person.
Surveillance footage showed a car leaving Sartin Jr.’s home before the September robbery and returning afterward. A man resembling Sartin Jr. was seen unloading a bicycle and rolling it toward the residence, according to prosecutors.
Searches uncover disguise and writings
Agents searching a storage unit linked to Sartin Jr. reported finding disguise items that matched surveillance from the robberies, including an old-man mask with gray facial hair, glasses, and gloves.
A search of another residence where he occasionally stayed turned up a journal titled God’s Best Friend Is a Bank Robber! Uncle Henry Cops and Robbers the world through the eyes of a Bank Robber, which stated it was “written by: David Sartin,” authorities said.
Sartin Jr. was taken into custody on September 19 in the driveway of a home two houses from his own. He is charged with two counts of bank robbery.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count, at a time when a second wave of early prison releases in England has drawn renewed attention to sentencing policies and incarceration.
Prior convictions and similar methods
At the time of the Florida bank robberies, Sartin Jr. was on supervised release for a 2018 federal conviction tied to five bank robberies committed in Texas in 2016.
Prosecutors said he used a similar mask during those crimes and drove the same vehicle linked to the Florida incidents.
In 2008, he was convicted in federal court of attempted bank robbery after he and an accomplice tried to rob a bank while wearing Halloween masks and other disguises.
The case is being prosecuted in the federal court system, which is overseen by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.