Teller Stages Fake Robbery John S. Burnett, Associate Editor
The silent alarm at the LCRA Credit Union in Austin, Texas, was triggered early Monday morning, January 7, 2008, but the city's first bank robbery of the year was not as it appeared.
Nathaniel Hamilton
Austin Police Photo
Nathaniel Hamilton, a 25-year-old teller at the credit union, told police that a robber had passed him a note in the restroom. The note allegedly included a bomb threat and instructions to return to the restroom with cash. Hamilton said that he had followed the instructions, then returned to the teller line and triggered the alarm.
Police evacuated the building because of the bomb threat, but they never found any sign of a bomb or the alleged robber.
According to Austin police, Hamilton admitted during the investigation to staging the robbery to cover up his own thefts from the credit union.
While credit union officials are working to determine how much money is missing, Hamilton has been charged with robbery by threat, and his bond set at $25,000. One news source reports that the charge means that Hamilton could face up to 20 years' imprisonment.
BankersOnline is a free service made possible by the generous support of our advertisers and sponsors. Advertisers and sponsors are not responsible for site content. Please help us keep BankersOnline FREE to all banking professionals. Support our advertisers and sponsors by clicking through to learn more about their products and services.
Print Friendly!
Email This Article!
Discuss NOW!
