David Sartin, Jr. (left) is accused of wearing a realistic old-man prosthetic mask (right) during bank robberies in Pinellas County. Courtesy: USA vs. Sartin
A Florida man arrested in connection with a pair of Tampa Bay-area bank robberies turned out to be a lot younger than he looked – at least, younger than he allegedly looked at the time of the heists.
Big picture view:
Federal authorities charged David Sartin Jr. with two counts of bank robbery following a criminal complaint, according to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. If convicted, the St. Petersburg man faces up to 40 years in prison.
avid Sartin, Jr., 40, was charged in federal court with two counts of bank robbery following incidents in Largo and St. Petersburg. Courtesy: USA vs. Sartin
Investigators said Sartin robbed a bank in Largo, which is about a half-hour west of Tampa, on Aug. 24 and another bank in nearby St. Petersburg on Sept. 15. During both incidents, Sartin allegedly entered wearing a prosthetic "old man" mask with gray facial hair, approached the teller counter, demanded cash, and instructed tellers not to include dye packs.
Surveillance footage and evidence recovered by federal law enforcement show the suspect disguised in a suit and hat alongside gloves covered in black paint. Courtesy: USA vs. Sartin
What we know:
Before the Aug. 24 robbery, Sartin drove to a nearby gas station, drove around the area, parked, and switched to a bicycle to approach the bank, according to court documents. Investigators say he rode the bicycle back to his staged vehicle after the robbery and drove away toward his residence.
Surveillance video from the Sept. 15 robbery showed a vehicle leaving and returning to Sartin's home, where a man resembling Sartin unloaded a bicycle. The next day, investigators watched Sartin spray paint the vehicle's white roof black.
Surveillance video captured this vehicle with a white roof that authorities say Sartin later spray painted black to disguise it. Courtesy: USA vs. Sartin
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Searches of Sartin's home, storage unit, and another residence where he stayed uncovered a bicycle, suits, a black bag, black spray paint materials, dark-framed glasses, work gloves with black paint, and a fake handgun, according to investigators.
Agents also said they found the old-man mask, a second prosthetic mask, a receipt for clothing bought the day before the second robbery, and a handwritten journal titled "God’s Best friend is a Bank Robber! Uncle Henry Cops and Robbers the world through the eyes of a Bank Robber."
Evidence seized during the investigation included a second prosthetic mask and dark-framed glasses found at a residence where Sartin stayed. Courtesy: USA vs. Sartin
Prior conviction prison sentence
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released the total amount of money taken during the two bank robberies. Officials have also not stated whether any bank employees or customers were injured during either incident.
Federal agents recovered a prosthetic "old man" mask with grey facial hair matching the disguise worn during the bank robberies. Courtesy: USA vs. Sartin
The backstory:
At the time of the recent robberies, Sartin was on supervised release following a 10-year and one-month federal prison sentence for a 2018 conviction involving five 2016 bank robberies in Texas, according to court records. In those cases, investigators say he used the same vehicle and a similar mask. Sartin was also convicted in federal court in 2008 for an attempted bank robbery involving Halloween masks and disguises.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Largo Police Department, and the St. Petersburg Police Department investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Belkis H. Callaos will prosecute. If convicted on the new charges, Sartin faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe, who announced the criminal complaint, as well as court documents provided by federal law enforcement agencies.