Band-Aid Victim Tellers Testify

John S. Burnett, BOL Associate Editor

The bank tellers who were victimized by Florida's infamous "Band-Aid Bandit" suffered once again on April 4, as they pulled back frightening memories of death threats allegedly made by Rafael Rondon. The tellers testified in federal court in Tampa, in the trial of Rondon and his brother-in-law, Emeregildo Roman, charged with six counts of bank robbery with a firearm. The suspects were arrested July 20, 2006, shortly after a hold-up of the Fifth Third Bank in Pinellas Park, Florida. Read our article on the arrest.

The tellers, some trembling, described how Rondon threatened to shoot them if they didn't follow his demands faster. One of the tellers said she had been threatened twice, first in 2001 and again in 2003.

In her opening statement, the Assistant U.S. Attorney said that Rondon and Roman had been robbing banks since 2000, and are suspects in 39 heists. The current charges cover only the Tampa-area robberies. The pair reportedly made off with at least half a million dollars in their six-year careers. The last of their heists, in Pinellas Park, yielded almost $200,000. In that robbery, Rondon used Band-Aids to cover his fingertips, but left a clear palm-print behind. He was also seen on video surveillance images taken in the bank. Cash from the holdup was recovered from both suspects' homes, still in Fifth Third Bank wrappers.

The twice-victimized teller, Sandra Holmes, recalled each incident carefully. She said that her bank had given her some time off after the second robbery, and that she got counseling. Holmes, who is still a teller, said that even the counseling did not take away "that awful, awful, awful feeling."

First published on BankersOnline.com April 2007