Home Chicago Press Releases 2010 Hoffman Estates Man Charged in String of Northwest Suburban Bank Robberies
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Hoffman Estates Man Charged in String of Northwest Suburban Bank Robberies

FBI Chicago May 04, 2010
  • Special Agent Garrett Croon (312) 829-1199

Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was joined today by Gerald Mourning, Chief of the Arlington Heights, Illinois Police Department (AHPD) in announcing the arrest of a Hoffman Estates man for the armed robbery of five northwest suburban banks dating to April 5 of this year.

JAMES W. FEDIJ, age 29, of 4455 Shorewood Drive, was arrested Saturday morning, without incident, by officers from the AHPD outside his residence. FEDIJ was charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago with five counts of armed bank robbery, which is a felony offense.

The robberies that FEDIJ is charged with are the April 5 theft from the TCF Bank branch, located at 950 North Meacham Road in Schaumburg; the April 12 theft from the Harris Bank branch, located at 1680 West Algonquin Road in Hoffman Estates; the April 16 theft from the Harris Bank branch, located at 10 Huntington Lane in Wheeling; the April 21 theft from the Harris Bank branch, located at 1 South Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove Village; and the April 28 theft from the Village Bank and Trust, located at 311 South Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights.

According to the complaint, this string of robberies, which was investigated jointly by the FBI and detectives from the Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, and Wheeling Police Departments, netted FEDIJ over $15,000. Bank surveillance photos of the robber, which were publicized in the local news media, resulted in several tips from members of the public who identified FEDIJ as the robber. Subsequent investigation by law enforcement developed additional evidence linking FEDIJ to the thefts and the charges that were announced today.

In announcing this arrest, Mr. Grant noted that this case was solved primarily due to the efforts of local law enforcement assisted by members of the public. Said Mr. Grant: “Citizen involvement has long been a cornerstone of effective law enforcement. This case demonstrates once again the invaluable role which the public plays in helping to keep their communities safe.”

FEDIJ appeared earlier today before United States Magistrate Judge Michael Mason in Chicago, at which time he was formally charged. FEDIJ was ordered held without bond, pending his next scheduled court appearance. If convicted of the charges filed against him, FEDIJ faces a possible sentence of up to one hundred (100) years' incarceration.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A copy of the criminal complaint filed in this case is available from the Chicago FBI press office at (312) 829-1199.