Woman Accused Of Robbing Banks In Skokie, Rogers Park At Gunpoint

CHICAGO — A warrant was issued Monday for a Rogers Park woman who the FBI believes robbed two banks in one day last week in Skokie and Chicago. In both cases, the robber wore a headscarf and brandished a black handgun. The woman, who remained at large Thursday, was tracked down by Chicago police using a license plate-reading computer and identified by a family member, according to the FBI.

Willie M. Thomas, 63, first robbed the Wintrust Bank at 7555 N. Western Ave. in Chicago's West Rogers Park neighborhood the morning of Aug. 15, stealing $2,731 in cash, according a criminal complaint filed Friday. A woman later identified as Thomas entered the bank around 11:50 a.m., put her purse on the counter and handed a note to the only teller working there at the time.

"I need $50,000. My daughter is dying, and I need to buy her equipment. I have a gun. Put cash in an envelope," her note said, according to an affidavit in support of the charge from Alexis Figueroa, an FBI agent involved in the investigation.

The robber showed the teller what looked to be a pistol on top of her purse. As she walked out with an envelope full of cash, the teller hit an alarm, calling another employee to the bank's lobby. They both followed the robber out of the entrance and were able to take down most of the license plate of her getaway car, Figueroa said.

The FBI believes Thomas also robbed a bank in Skokie later the same day, although she was initially only charged with the first incident. Around 4 p.m., a woman with a similar physical description and wearing a green head covering entered the Byline Bank at 8400 Skokie Blvd., according to surveillance footage.

A bank teller told investigators she first went to a check kiosk area before coming over to the teller's window with a note, a money order and a large set of keys. The note said something like, "I need a money order for my daughter, she is dying," according to Figueroa's affidavit.

The robber then told the teller something to the effect of "I need money. 100s and 50s or I shoot," while holding a black handgun pointed down at the counter. The teller said she seemed to have a hard time speaking and described her as having yellow teeth, poor grooming and what could be an African accent, Figueroa said.

The robber twice demanded the teller pull out more money from the drawer, threatening to shoot the bank employee if they moved, the affidavit said. Bank officials said the robber made off with about $5,800.

Investigators collected footage from surveillance cameras to the north and the south of the bank and were able to identify the robber's car as a Nissan Versa with a what appeared to be a white rectangular sticker on the passenger side of its windshield, according to the FBI agent.

Chicago police then used license-plate reading software to search for any footage of a car that matched the plate number provided by the employee of the Wintrust Bank, Figueroa said. It turned out a matching vehicle registered to Thomas was caught on camera driving around Rogers Park on the day of the robberies.

Investigators found a car with the matching license plate and windshield sticker parked in a lot at Thomas' address, according to the affidavit. Surveillance footage showed the car leaving the area shortly before the Wintrust Bank robbery and returning afterwards. Its driver's clothing and physical appearance looked to match the robber.

According to Figueroa, law enforcement tracked down one of Thomas' family members and met with her the day after the robberies. Investigators showed her a photo from Wintrust Bank surveillance cameras, and the family member confirmed it was Thomas.

UPDATE: Thomas was arrested, appointed a lawyer to represent her and ordered held ahead of an Aug. 27 detention hearing.

Last week, an FBI spokesperson said the suspect in the Aug. 15 robberies could be the same person who robbed the Huntington Bank at 10240 S. Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn April 29, but investigators now believe someone else was responsible for that robbery. In that incident, a woman wearing a blue poncho and brandishing a gun entered the bank shortly after 2:30 p.m. The FBI is still looking for information about that robber's identity and has offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in that incident.