Man Took Cab to Bank Robbery, Deputies Say

A cabbie who picked up a 34-year-old man in Tampa Monday morning unwittingly became a getaway driver in a bank robbery, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say Robert Levantini of Ocala hailed a cab and arrived at the 9601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Sun Trust Bank just after 11 a.m. At first, Levantini paid the outside ATM a visit to check the balance of his personal bank account, the sheriff’s office said in an email.

Evidently not happy with the balance, deputies say Levantini then walked into the bank and handed a teller a demand note. After the teller gave the man an undisclosed amount of cash, he left the bank and got back into the cab.

Levantini asked the driver to take him to the Hard Rock Casino, the email said. Once there, the man opted against gambling and took a second cab instead. He asked that driver to take him to a different bank. This time, however, he didn’t rob the bank, deputies noted. Instead, he deposited some of the stolen cash into his personal bank account, the email said.

Deposit made, he asked to be taken to the Knights Inn on U.S. 301 and Interstate 4. That’s where deputies caught up with him.

Levantini was taken into custody without incident. He was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on a single charge of robbery. He remained there Monday night in lieu of $7,500 bond.

Levantini, as it turns out, was released from the Florida State prison system in March 2013 after serving time on grand theft, fraud and forgery charges.

Booking photo courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office