Tynan: Joliet Rocker Turned Bank Robber Awaits Federal Prison

JOLIET, IL — Tom Tynan belted out the tunes and jammed on the electric guitar for the popular Chicago area rock band that bore his name. He featured a large horn and brass ensemble and he promoted himself as "Chicago's No. 1 Horn Driven Party Band." That all came to an end on a Thursday morning inside Joliet's First Midwest Bank, 1415 West Jefferson St.

At 9:29 a.m., the 59-year-old Tyran rolled up to Joliet's First Midwest Bank driving his Mercedes-Benz SUV. He walked into the bank at 1415 West Jefferson St. wearing sunglasses. He proceeded to rob the bank of $938.

By nighttime, Joliet's Police Department had him in custody that Sept. 19, 2019. He was booked into the Will County Jail. Within days, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago took over the prosecution of the bank robbery charge. This past June, Tynan and his federal public defender hammered out a plea agreement with U.S. District Attorney John Lausch, who happens to be a Joliet native.

Tynan, now 60, will be sentenced to the federal penitentiary Oct. 27. At the time of the crime, Tynan lived in the 2600 block of Par Four Lane, which is close to the First Midwest Bank he chose to rob.

"Defendant will plead guilty because he is in fact guilty of the charge contained in the indictment," federal court records show. "In pleading guilty, defendant admits the following facts and that those facts establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and establish a basis for forfeiture of the property described elsewhere in this plea agreement."

According to federal prosecutors, Tynan entered Joliet's First Midwest Bank and used intimidation to take $938 from the bank employees. He approached a bank teller and gave her a manila folder containing a note demanding "$100s, $50s, $20s, no dye packs you have 45 seconds."

The bank teller found $938 from her drawer and gave it to Tynan "at which point he left the bank. After leaving the bank, the defendant drove away in his black Mercedes-Benz SUV," the plea agreement outlined.

Within hours of the bank robbery, the Joliet Police Department published a photo showing the stocky bank robber in sunglasses who looked to be in his 60s. A number of people in the area were certain that the robber looked like Tynan, the rocker they had seen perform at various rock concerts and festivals in the Chicago region.

Tynan even performed at the Illinois State Fair. At the time of his arrest, Tynan was slated to perform at the Grundy County Cornfest in Morris. But with Tynan in the slammer and all the negative publicity that his bank robbery arrest generated, the Cornfest canceled Tynan's performance.

Tynan's criminal past stretches back to 1985 when he was convicted of battery in Cook County and given court supervision. Five years later, in 1990, he was convicted of assault and criminal damage to property, again in Cook County, federal court files show.

In 2002, while in California, Tynan was convicted in federal court of receiving stolen U.S. Treasury checks. Although Tynan was sentenced to probation, a year later his probation was revoked and he got sentenced to one year and one day in prison. That same year, Tynan was also convicted of passing counterfeit money in California, drawing a four-month prison term for that crime.

In 2004, Tynan was convicted in California of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and sentenced to 41 months of imprisonment.

According to the terms of his June plea agreement on the Joliet bank robbery, the sentencing guidelines call for a recommended prison term in the range of 33 to 41 months, in addition to any fines, supervised release or restitution the federal judge may impose.

However, the federal judge has discretion to impose a different sentence, which could be much harsher, the court files show. Tynan agreed that the federal government can keep the $441 cash that the police found inside his black Mercedes-Benz, proceeds from his bank robbery.

Related Joliet Patch coverage of Tynan:

Tynan Misused $317,000 In Mother's Bank Account: Petition

How FBI Caught Bank Robber Tynan