Charges have been filed against two men believed to have robbed BMO Harris banks in Naperville — one case occurring this summer and the other more than two years ago.
Charles Lawler, 53, of Villa Park, was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the Sept. 22, 2021, holdup of the BMO Harris branch at 1795 S. Washington St., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Northern Illinois District Office.
The FBI reported at the time that a man entered the bank, handed the teller a note and a white garbage bag, and then left with an undisclosed amount of cash. Once he exited the building, he jumped a nearby fence and ran into the nearby residential neighborhood, the report said.
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It was one of five robberies of financial institutions in which Lawler was reportedly involved and has been charged, the U.S. Attorney’s Office news release said.
The others were allegedly committed by Lawler and Tarandle Lee, 44, of Bolingbrook, according to the indictment.
The other holdups took place at an Old Second Bank in Lisle on Sept. 28, 2021; a Bank Financial in Westmont on Oct. 6, 2021; a BMO Harris Bank in Woodridge on Jan. 3, 2022; and a DuPage Credit Union in Downers Grove on April 14, 2022.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of $29,944 from the defendants, the release said.
In the more recent case, Kenneth Eggleston, 30, of the 9200 block of Princeton Avenue, Chicago, was arrested in connection with an armed robbery that occurred July 19 at a BMO Harris branch at 320 W. Diehl Road.
The DuPage County charges filed against him also stem from a July 21 holdup of a BMO Harris branch in Addison, a news release said.
Eggleston is facing two counts each of armed violence, armed robbery with a firearm, financial institution robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle; one count each of attempted armed robbery with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon; and four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
In the Naperville incident, he and an accomplice were masked and carried guns when they allegedly went ino the bank, ordered customers and employees to the floor, and forced two bank employees to open the vault, the state’s attorney’s office release said.
The pair made off with $95,716 and fled the scene in a car reported stolen July 9 out of Chicago.
Two days later, they allegedly did the same thing at the BMO Harris bank at 1355 W. Lake St. in Addison, ordering the employees and customers to the floor and directing tellers to put cash from the drawers into a garbage bag, the release said.
Once the drawers were emptied, they told employees to open the bank vault and demanded they put more cash into the bag, ultimately fleeing with $172,152.
The suspects are alleged to have attempted a third robbery July 28 at a BMO Harris branch at 2413 75th St. in Woodridge, the release said. They ordered a security guard to open the door at gunpoint, but he refused and they fled in another stolen car.
The getaway vehicle in all three cases was a red Infiniti Q50, the release said.
Eggleston was arrested on the day of the attempted Woodridge robbery after a Burr Ridge police officer saw the Infiniti speeding on Interstate 294. A Chicago police helicopter tracked the vehicle to 11631 Wallace St. in Chicago, where Eggleston was seen standing in front of a red Infiniti Q50 and then dropping a backpack as he attempted to flee, the release said.
Although released at the time, he was taken into custody Nov. 3 on a previously issued arrest warrant in Chicago.
Eggleston, a convicted felon, was on parole for a weapon offense at the time of the alleged armed robberies, the release said. Two active Cook County warrants sought his arrest on possession of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer charges.
“We are all very grateful that no employees or customers at the banks were physically harmed during these alleged robberies,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
Eggleston’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 13.