St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery
Wore Polka Dot Dress and Wig During Robbery

On November 19, 2013, Arnell L. Edwards, a 50-year-old St. Louis, Missouri man, pled guilty in federal district court, in East St. Louis to bank robbery, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Stephen R. Wigginton announced today. Edwards is scheduled for sentencing on April 7, 2014, at which time he faces a potential sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, not more than five years of supervised release after his prison term, a mandatory special assessment of $100, and restitution.

Court proceedings revealed that on September 6, 2013, Edwards entered the U.S. Bank in New Athens, Illinois wearing a polka dot dress, wig, and sunglasses. He then placed a rag over his mouth, approached a bank teller showing her a handwritten note on a small piece of red paper reading “stick up all money,” and stated, “Give me all the money.” The frightened teller removed money from her drawer and placed it on the counter. Edwards picked up the cash and exited the bank. As he ran away, he removed and discarded clothing in a bush and shed near a wooded area, before entering an apartment nearby. Officers used a PA system to contact Edwards, who emerged from his apartment shortly thereafter. A search of the apartment resulted in the discovery of a pad of red Post-it notes. The pad found in his apartment matched in size, shape, and color the note given to the bank teller.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak for prosecution.