Economic Slump Leads to Increase in Bank Robberies In OC

The FBI Counts as many bank robberies so far this year as all of 2007. The downward trend in bank robberies is over. In 2007, Southern California had seen the lowest number of bank robberies for decades, at 339. This year the number of bank robberies had already hit 339 by the end of October. With the continuing trend of banks being robbed, and with two months left in 2008, that number is expected to be heavily surpassed.  Orange County alone is estimated to have seen an increase in bank robberies by as much as 50%.

Orange County banks such as the Bank of America branch in Lake Forest on El Toro Road at Serrano as well as the City of Orange Citibank are two recent victims of bank robbery within the past few weeks.

It’s believed the increase in bank robberies can be traced to the economic downturn. It is further believed that recent robberies were motivated by the loss of a job or other financial pressures, whereas the majority of bank robberies are generally believed to be perpetrated by drug or gambling addicts in need of cash to pay for their addictions.

Robbery is the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. A bank robbery is when the crime is robbery and the location is a financial institution. The victims in a robbery can be either persons or businesses or financial institutions. In a bank robbery, the primary victim is the bank itself. However, the teller being threatened or injured is also a victim.

In 1934, it became a federal crime to rob any national bank or state member bank of the Federal Reserve System. The law was expanded to include bank burglary, larceny, and similar crimes against federally insured savings and loans and federal credit unions, with jurisdiction delegated to the FBI.

Title 18, section 2113 of the United States Code is the Federal criminal bank robbery statute. Subsection (a) prohibits the taking or attempted taking by force, intimidation, or extortion, of any property, money or any other thing of value belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, management or possession of any bank, credit union, or savings and loan association. Furthermore, anyone who enters or attempts to enter any building used in whole or in part as a bank, credit union, or savings and loan association with the intent to commit any felony affecting such financial institution or any larceny is subject to a fine, twenty years imprisonment or both.

If you are being investigated by the Department of Justice, the FBI, or any state law enforcement agency for allegations of bank robbery, you need the help of a competent federal criminal defense attorney immediately. Delaying representation will only assist the federal government in building their case against you. The consequences of a conviction for bank robbery are severe. You need to protect your interests immediately. Call the federal criminal defense attorneys at Houston & Blanco today.