Man Linked To 19 Bank Robberies Across NorCal Sentenced To Federal Prison
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An Oakland man who robbed or tried to rob 19 banks before he was arrested at a hospital where his wife was giving birth was sentenced Wednesday to more than eight years in federal prison.
Duane Makela, 50, was sentenced for a series of 10 armed robberies, seven unarmed robberies and two attempted robberies of banks and credit unions in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada.
The holdups occurred in 2018 and early 2019 and netted Makela more than $69,000, prosecutors said. In addition to his sentencing, Makela was ordered to repay the stolen money.
He was arrested last April at Kaiser Medical Center in Oakland, where his wife was giving birth.
He pleaded guilty to the charges in October.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press.
