Federal Judge Sentences Man to Over 14 Years in Prison for Robbing Seven Banks
A federal judge handed down a sentence of more than 14 years to Haris Matchalovas, 41, for robbing seven banks in Chicago and the north suburbs in less than eight months. Matchalovas was convicted by a jury in November for the following robberies:
- $4,118 from BMO Harris, 3113 North Lewis Avenue in Waukegan, on November 24, 2021
- $13,525 from Parkway Bank, 39 North Morgan Street, on February 18, 2022
- $7.973 from Huntington Bank, 9449 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, on March 3, 2022
- $1,843 from Fifth Third Bank, 837 West North Avenue, on April 22, 2022
- $5,866 from Huntington Bank, 4042 West Foster Avenue, on May 10, 2022
- $2,166 from Huntington Bank, 4355 North Sheridan Road, on June 11, 2022
- $318 from Huntington Bank, 2485 West Howard Street in Evanston, on August 3, 2022
Matchalovas wore a mask, carried a backpack, and wore distinctive grey gloves during each robbery. He also displayed a large knife in five of the robberies. Prosecutors revealed that Matchalovas threatened violence during some of the incidents, including a chilling moment where he threatened to stab a teller who started to cry.
Authorities linked Matchalovas to the robberies with compelling evidence, including:
- Getaway cars registered to his parents being used in the crimes
- His phone pinging near each robbery location within ten minutes of the crime
- Wearing a t-shirt with the word “Champion” to one robbery, which he also wore in his Illinois driver’s license photo
During some of the robberies, Matchalovas initiated conversations with tellers before demanding money. However, he also made violent threats, such as asking if he needed to stab everyone in the bank.
After one of the robberies, Matchalovas reportedly stole five cases of cognac from a Costco in Mettawa. Surveillance footage from the store showed him still wearing the Champion t-shirt from the robbery earlier that day.
Prosecutors sought a 188-month sentence for Matchalovas, while the defense argued for 120 months. U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin ultimately sentenced Matchalovas to 170 months, just over 14 years, for each charge, to be served concurrently.
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