‘Let’s go rob a bank!’: PNW serial bank robber details life of crime—and why he turned himself in

Mike, not his real name, committed 14 robberies in the Pacific Northwest. He just can’t remember when exactly he started. 

“So, we’re going back to 1984? ‘83? Somewhere back in there,” Mike told “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday. 

Mike, a loyal KIRO Newsradio listener, heard about a woman serial bank robber on the loose in Seattle, so he decided now was a good time to retell his story. 

“I grew up in a broken home and basically didn’t feel like life was going as I expected,” Mike said. “The bills piled up, the marriage crumbled, and that just seemed like an easy way out.” 

How does someone become a serial bank robber?

He turned to bank robbing because he had experience on the other side of the counter. 

“I literally worked in a bank as a teller,” Mike said. “Married, drowning in debt. One-bedroom apartment, two kids. You’re sitting there dealing with money all day. I’m looking at a quarter million dollars sitting in this vault and thinking ‘yep, that’s the place to get it.’”

Robbing banks proved easier than he anticipated. 

“I called in sick, I believe one day, and I went out and robbed two banks,” Mike said. “I actually was only going to do one. The adrenaline was just so high, I was like ‘I’ve got to do another one.’”

Mike got away with six robberies before turning himself in. He thinks it was six anyway; he can’t quite remember. The total “earnings” from this first run were somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000. 

Serial bank robber turns himself in—not for the reason you think

He decided to turn himself in because he wanted a divorce, and he figured his wife would use the bank robbery as blackmail ahead of any proceedings. However, after 18 months in prison, he got right back to it. 

“I was sitting there one night with a buddy,” Mike said, “I was living in a 20-foot travel trailer, and we got talking about money and stuff. We both looked at each other at the same time and said ‘Let’s go rob a bank!”

That job netted the pair about $230,000. After that, it got hard to stop. 

“You start not worrying about work,” Mike said. “You start not worrying about anything. You start just reaching into this paper bag and grabbing out a packet of money. OK, well, that bag runs empty. You’ve lost all momentum in your life for work, so let’s go do another. Let’s go do another.’” 

Fast forward to 1993. Mike’s an experienced bank robber with 13 under his belt. But he got a little sloppy. 

“I went to rob a bank in Everett,” Mike said. “The guy that was going to do it with me bailed the night before. I had some debts coming up the next day that I was banking on this money for, so I went and did it on my own. What I didn’t know was people had figured out that we were casing this bank.” 

He barely got inside before the cops showed up. Mike went on to plead guilty and served 13 of a 15-year sentence. 

Mike tells Gee and Ursula what stops him from turning back to a life of crime

When money gets tight, robbing banks is still tempting. But talking himself out of it is easier. 

“I’m two strikes, three strikes, that’s the end of things,” Mike said. “I’m married, I have a great wife. I couldn’t get any better than that. I’ve got great kids, even though they have their own issues. I don’t need to go down that road.”   

Mike’s message to his younger self: Think about the victims. 

“The worst thing about crimes like this is the harm you do to the other people on the other side of the counter,” Mike said. “Some of these banks I hit twice. One person had to quit their job and get counseling and other things. I hurt people doing this. I would tell myself it’s not worth it for other people.” 

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.