Charges Filed in Two North Suburban Bank Robberies

Criminal charges have been filed against a 42-year-old Chicago man in connection with the 2010 armed robberies of two north suburban banks. CARLOS STILLWELL, who has been in custody since June of last year on unrelated state charges, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago late last week charged with two counts of aggravated bank robbery, which is a felony offense.

The charges were announced today by Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Patrick L. Kreis, Interim Chief of the Winnetka, Illinois Police Department; and Barry P. Silverberg, Chief of the Skokie, Illinois Police Department.

The thefts named in the indictment were both armed takeover robberies, one at the First Bank and Trust, located at 100 Green Bay Road in Winnetka on June 14 and the second at the Brickyard Bank, located at 3536 West Dempster in Skokie, on June 2. In both incidents, witnesses indicated that a lone robber, subsequently identified as STILLWELL, entered the bank brandishing a handgun and threatening both bank employees and customers with harm if his demands were not met. Employees and customers of both banks were injured during the robberies, after they were allegedly beaten by STILLWELL.

STILLWELL was originally charged in a criminal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago in February, with the Winnetka robbery. However, subsequent investigation conducted jointly by the Chicago FBI and Detectives from the Winnetka and Skokie Police Departments, developed additional evidence linking STILLWELL to both robberies and the filing of the charges announced today. The investigation was aided by forensic examinations conducted by the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory in Vernon Hills, Illinois.

In announcing these charges, Mr. Grant noted the invaluable assistance provided by the Skokie and Winnetka Police Departments. Said Mr. Grant, “Once again, the blending of local police experience and the resources of the FBI have proven to be a successful combination, which led to the identification and arrest of a suspected serial robber.”

Chief Kreis added, “We are pleased that a violent armed robbery has been solved and a dangerous individual is now in custody, unable to threaten or harm other innocent members of our community.”

STILLWELL is being held without bond, pending his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Chicago, later this week. Until then, STILWELL will be housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. If convicted of the charges filed against him, STILLWELL faces a possible sentence of up to 25 years’ incarceration on each count.

Additional information about this and other recent Chicago area bank robberies, including downloadable photographs, is available at the Bandit Tracker website, www.bandittrackerchicago.com.

The public is reminded that neither a complaint nor an indictment is 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: Copies of the criminal complaint and grand jury indictment filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.