1 00:00:01,450 --> 00:00:08,189 In this episode of American Greed, in the war on identity theft... This is a 2 00:00:08,189 --> 00:00:11,610 legit account, because you know I'm going to check it. There is a new enemy. 3 00:00:11,950 --> 00:00:16,430 The drugs are set there, and I fight the temptation, the temptation... One who 4 00:00:16,430 --> 00:00:19,770 is dedicated, resourceful, and addicted to meth. 5 00:00:20,150 --> 00:00:24,630 I had gotten addicted to going into a bank and using somebody else's name and 6 00:00:24,630 --> 00:00:25,950 walking out with a thousand dollars. 7 00:00:26,530 --> 00:00:27,550 And later... 8 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:31,920 When he enters a bank, he's very commanding. He immediately takes control 9 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,660 situation. A mysterious bank robber who's not afraid of violence or the 10 00:00:36,940 --> 00:00:41,560 Points a gun at people and tells them he will shoot them. I believe that he will 11 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:45,880 follow through on those threats if it comes to it. Who is the Wheaton Bandit? 12 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:06,020 I had a chiropractic appointment that morning, and I was coming into town to 13 00:01:06,020 --> 00:01:10,440 attend that. On a Saturday afternoon, Virginia DeSette is pulled over for 14 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:15,520 speeding. Her luck turns from bad to worse when the officer tells her there 15 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:16,900 warrant out for her arrest. 16 00:01:17,500 --> 00:01:20,900 And I said, no, you're joking. And he goes, no. 17 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,100 I said, what are the charges? 18 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,600 He said, felony forgery. 19 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:31,220 The wife and mother is taken into custody and booked into the county jail 20 00:01:31,220 --> 00:01:32,600 crime she didn't commit. 21 00:01:33,220 --> 00:01:39,740 It was a shocker, and it was scary because I knew that I had done nothing 22 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:45,280 Two months earlier, DeSette's wallet had been stolen out of her car, and the 23 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:46,900 thief took more than the woman's money. 24 00:01:47,470 --> 00:01:51,230 There had been somebody arrested who had stolen my identity and had been using 25 00:01:51,230 --> 00:01:57,650 it, and so to find out that there had been a warrant out for my arrest for 26 00:01:57,650 --> 00:02:04,310 felony forgery, I just knew this was definitely not right. 27 00:02:04,890 --> 00:02:09,830 DeSette sits in the lockup while her husband tries to gather $10 ,000 for 28 00:02:10,190 --> 00:02:12,770 I waited, and I waited. 29 00:02:13,550 --> 00:02:17,390 And I watched them haul off one or two people in little orange jumpsuits 30 00:02:17,390 --> 00:02:18,610 they couldn't post bail. 31 00:02:19,910 --> 00:02:21,630 And I was scared. 32 00:02:22,470 --> 00:02:26,590 At the end of the day, her husband makes it back with the money, and Desed is 33 00:02:26,590 --> 00:02:28,810 released. But she is not happy. 34 00:02:29,630 --> 00:02:34,210 I was victimized when my ID was stolen, and I've been victimized again by the 35 00:02:34,210 --> 00:02:36,550 system. What happened? 36 00:02:36,830 --> 00:02:41,410 I called her up, and she was readily talking with me, and I thought, well, 37 00:02:41,410 --> 00:02:42,690 got the wrong person here now. 38 00:02:43,530 --> 00:02:48,150 The warrant for DeSette's arrest originated with Denver detective Jim 39 00:02:48,150 --> 00:02:52,230 has been investigating a case of counterfeit checks with DeSette's name 40 00:02:52,470 --> 00:02:54,170 Her identification is used. 41 00:02:54,390 --> 00:02:59,910 The teller identifies, she just tells me, the person presenting me this check, 42 00:03:00,010 --> 00:03:04,510 identifying herself as Virginia DeSette, appeared to be that person on the ID. 43 00:03:05,810 --> 00:03:09,370 But the real Virginia DeSette is not the one cashing the checks. 44 00:03:09,890 --> 00:03:11,550 They were actually... 45 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:18,400 dressing women up to look like me, wearing wigs to get my hair colored. 46 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,120 This is the picture. You can see she's got her sunglasses on and her hair. 47 00:03:23,140 --> 00:03:24,860 They felt matched quite a bit. 48 00:03:25,100 --> 00:03:28,540 Detective Rock learned that a woman has already been arrested in another county 49 00:03:28,540 --> 00:03:32,260 for using DeSette's ID, a woman named Roberta Corcoran. 50 00:03:32,460 --> 00:03:36,840 Roberta Corcoran was linked to a whole lot of individuals and a whole lot of 51 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:41,120 checks. And we're not just talking checks with the name of DeSette on here. 52 00:03:41,530 --> 00:03:47,050 The detective begins to unravel a tangled web of identity thieves and 53 00:03:47,050 --> 00:03:50,410 group whose members are bound by one thing, meth addiction. 54 00:03:50,770 --> 00:03:55,930 I don't know of many people that were doing meth that weren't involved with 55 00:03:55,930 --> 00:03:56,930 identity theft. 56 00:03:57,350 --> 00:04:02,930 In 2002, Tammy Carroll is a meth addict and part of the identity theft ring that 57 00:04:02,930 --> 00:04:06,590 is stolen to Seth's ID, her money, and her freedom. 58 00:04:06,990 --> 00:04:08,630 Somebody would go steal a purse. 59 00:04:09,350 --> 00:04:13,310 and bring it to me, and, you know, I'd give them 50 bucks or a little bit of 60 00:04:13,310 --> 00:04:14,930 drugs or something like that. 61 00:04:16,010 --> 00:04:20,910 Tammy has learned the illegal trade from her meth associates, including how to 62 00:04:20,910 --> 00:04:25,910 steal information as easily as possible from trash bins, or even better, from 63 00:04:25,910 --> 00:04:26,809 the mail. 64 00:04:26,810 --> 00:04:31,610 You would look for, with residential, the red flag is up. Normally if the red 65 00:04:31,610 --> 00:04:34,430 flag is up in a residential neighborhood, the only reason that would 66 00:04:34,430 --> 00:04:36,150 they're mailing out a letter or a bill. 67 00:04:37,610 --> 00:04:41,650 With stolen documents, Tammy creates phony checks using commonly available 68 00:04:41,650 --> 00:04:42,650 software. 69 00:04:43,490 --> 00:04:48,170 You don't necessarily even have to have an actual check in front of you if you 70 00:04:48,170 --> 00:04:54,270 have their banking information, like a statement with the account number. 71 00:04:54,650 --> 00:04:59,810 Members of the group then use other people's IDs, mostly stolen from purses 72 00:04:59,810 --> 00:05:01,430 wallets, to cash the checks. 73 00:05:01,710 --> 00:05:04,170 The scheme is easy and lucrative. 74 00:05:04,830 --> 00:05:10,810 If I did it three, four days a week, then I'd do it at least a couple checks 75 00:05:10,810 --> 00:05:15,490 day, 900 each, so 4 ,000 a week maybe, 76 00:05:15,550 --> 00:05:19,090 at least. 77 00:05:20,930 --> 00:05:24,010 The cash is not the sole motive for Tammy's greed. 78 00:05:24,350 --> 00:05:29,270 Nearly all of her profit is spent on meth, a drug particularly suited to the 79 00:05:29,270 --> 00:05:30,630 crime of identity theft. 80 00:05:31,290 --> 00:05:33,030 It's a drug that allowed them. 81 00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:37,820 not only to function, but function for very long periods of time, making 82 00:05:37,820 --> 00:05:41,220 identities, making checks, spending time to get the drugs so they don't have to 83 00:05:41,220 --> 00:05:43,060 do other things to make money. 84 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,540 Identity theft is the fastest -growing crime in America. 85 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,840 Methamphetamine is the fastest -growing drug habit. 86 00:05:51,340 --> 00:05:56,540 In Colorado and states across the country, these crimes are inextricably 87 00:05:59,180 --> 00:06:03,080 Denver Assistant DA Joe Morales sees the connection every day. 88 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:08,900 We take out big rings of identity thefts. I would say of those, 80 % of 89 00:06:08,900 --> 00:06:13,340 have some drug connection, and of that drug, the most popular drug is 90 00:06:13,340 --> 00:06:16,540 methamphetamine. They're out there about 3 in the morning, they grab the mail, 91 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,180 they get done about 9 o 'clock in the morning, and they're already printing 92 00:06:20,180 --> 00:06:23,700 checks up in the car, parked in the lots, waiting for the business to open. 93 00:06:24,340 --> 00:06:27,660 Detective Jim Rock brings his case to the DA's office. 94 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:32,140 And a multi -jurisdictional group of investigators comes together to put a 95 00:06:32,140 --> 00:06:34,920 to the crime ring that victimized Virginia DeSette. 96 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,900 And typically what you will see in these groups, as we see in this case, one of 97 00:06:38,900 --> 00:06:44,140 them gets sloppy, one of them makes a bad decision, or a clerk gets wise to 98 00:06:44,140 --> 00:06:45,840 what's going on, and they're caught. 99 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:52,120 Four months later, Tammy Carroll is caught when she purchases stolen IDs 100 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:53,160 police informant. 101 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:58,660 She led us to an individual, and they led us to another individual. And the 102 00:06:58,660 --> 00:07:02,840 individual that it kind of bottomed lined at was a guy by the name of 103 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:08,820 Schreckengast. And Schreckengast was a heavy methamphetamine user, 104 00:07:08,940 --> 00:07:12,980 and he was deep into counterfeiting these checks. 105 00:07:13,820 --> 00:07:18,760 Michael Schreckengast is top dog of the loose -knit group of up to 40 ID 106 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,980 thieves, all addicted to meth. 107 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,800 and raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent funds. 108 00:07:25,500 --> 00:07:28,540 He would enlist them. He would print up the check. 109 00:07:28,900 --> 00:07:33,320 If they didn't have an ID, he would make them an ID. He had people all over 110 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:37,280 going for him, and he would, you know, get half the money, and that's how he 111 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,040 it. He was paying people to commit crimes. 112 00:07:40,980 --> 00:07:45,180 The case becomes known for one of Schreck and Goss' more memorable scams. 113 00:07:45,860 --> 00:07:50,080 We call this the Harley case because the main suspect in this case... 114 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:53,480 used a counterfeit check to buy a Harley -Davidson motorcycle. 115 00:07:54,580 --> 00:07:59,900 Under an assumed identity, Streckengast had paid more than $17 ,000 for the 116 00:07:59,900 --> 00:08:04,760 Harley. He used what is known as a convenience check sent by credit card 117 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:05,960 companies to their customers. 118 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:10,080 This is a convenience check. The check had been stolen from a woman's mailbox 119 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:12,280 before she even knew it was there. 120 00:08:12,820 --> 00:08:16,620 But they went out and bought a bike with that check because she had a $25 ,000 121 00:08:16,620 --> 00:08:17,620 credit limit. 122 00:08:17,740 --> 00:08:20,860 For victim Virginia DeSette, the damage is much worse. 123 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:27,920 I'm sitting there waiting for somebody to do something to prove me 124 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:32,960 innocent. After being wrongfully arrested, DeSette has to work to get 125 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:34,419 stolen from her checking account. 126 00:08:35,260 --> 00:08:37,159 They bought printers. 127 00:08:38,579 --> 00:08:43,700 and computer stuff, and it was obviously things that they bought in order to 128 00:08:43,700 --> 00:08:48,620 propagate this forgery ring that they were involved in. And not only that, her 129 00:08:48,620 --> 00:08:52,220 credit started going down because they were using her name and her driver's 130 00:08:52,220 --> 00:08:55,320 license, and everything was being reported as a bad credit to her. 131 00:08:55,700 --> 00:08:58,900 So not only did she have to worry about being arrested, but she had to worry 132 00:08:58,900 --> 00:09:01,580 about her credit history being completely ruined. 133 00:09:02,220 --> 00:09:06,700 The set story is more motivation for the team of investigators to put a stop to 134 00:09:06,700 --> 00:09:07,700 the Harley group. 135 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:12,220 Over the next six months, they've pieced together a complex, organized crime 136 00:09:12,220 --> 00:09:18,720 case. We had 31 named suspects that we were able to identify that had actually 137 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:19,720 passed checks. 138 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:24,720 And as the investigators begin closing in on their suspects, Detective Rock 139 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,000 decides to become a regular at Michael Schreckengast's house. 140 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:33,140 He had cameras in the trees. He had cameras mounted on his roof. He had 141 00:09:33,140 --> 00:09:34,140 covering the backyard. 142 00:09:34,870 --> 00:09:38,470 So he was really paranoid, and I just kind of added to the fire. 143 00:09:38,990 --> 00:09:42,450 I'd drive out there, bang on the door. They wouldn't answer the door, but he 144 00:09:42,450 --> 00:09:44,350 knew I was there. He had the cameras on me. 145 00:09:44,890 --> 00:09:49,070 And I just let him know that we knew who he was, and we were going to be talking 146 00:09:49,070 --> 00:09:50,110 real close one day. 147 00:10:05,670 --> 00:10:09,690 Every time they turned around, there was a police agency there throughout the 148 00:10:09,690 --> 00:10:10,690 whole metro area. 149 00:10:10,710 --> 00:10:15,370 In Denver, Colorado, a team of investigators is zeroing in on a 150 00:10:15,370 --> 00:10:16,550 identity theft ring. 151 00:10:16,810 --> 00:10:21,590 We had 53 different victims whose checks or IDs had been compromised. 152 00:10:22,170 --> 00:10:26,850 For up to a year, the group has been operating in the Denver area, racking up 153 00:10:26,850 --> 00:10:28,130 victims and cash. 154 00:10:28,810 --> 00:10:32,990 A quarter million dollars lost in more than 850 transactions. 155 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:38,800 The group's ringleader is named Michael Schreckengast. Like everyone involved in 156 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,520 the crime ring, he has turned to identity theft in order to support his 157 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:43,520 addiction to meth. 158 00:10:44,140 --> 00:10:48,920 On July 31, 2002, Schreckengast makes a fatal mistake. 159 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:53,440 He got lazy. He went in. He used a very bad ID. 160 00:10:53,900 --> 00:10:58,060 He tried to use the name of Benjamin Bryce Taiwan Kim. 161 00:10:58,820 --> 00:11:02,420 And then he tried to use a check that had been used before, and they were wise 162 00:11:02,420 --> 00:11:03,309 to it. 163 00:11:03,310 --> 00:11:07,230 And the police were called, and he didn't run, and we caught him. And from 164 00:11:07,230 --> 00:11:09,770 on, we were able to link all the other parties together. 165 00:11:11,070 --> 00:11:16,070 Also arrested is Tammy Carroll, who has been stealing identities and forging 166 00:11:16,070 --> 00:11:17,590 checks for almost a year. 167 00:11:18,250 --> 00:11:24,770 I was looking for the next high on a daily basis, trying to figure out where 168 00:11:24,770 --> 00:11:26,090 next check was going to come from. 169 00:11:26,570 --> 00:11:30,730 Michael Schreckengast is sentenced to 10 years in prison under Colorado's 170 00:11:30,730 --> 00:11:31,970 organized crime statute. 171 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,180 For Tammy Carroll, the judge reserves a far worse sentence. 172 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,920 And he said, you're a drug addict, and you're always going to be a drug addict, 173 00:11:39,980 --> 00:11:42,500 and I don't ever want to see your kids in your care again. 174 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:47,840 Three of Tammy's children are already in foster care, and the judge decides to 175 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:49,780 place her youngest child up for adoption. 176 00:11:50,580 --> 00:11:54,320 No other sentence in the world could have been worse, you know, prison, 177 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:56,140 anything, than hearing that. 178 00:11:57,580 --> 00:11:59,540 I decided to change my life that day. 179 00:12:00,810 --> 00:12:05,270 Tammy is eventually allowed to forego her prison sentence and does time in a 180 00:12:05,270 --> 00:12:06,570 drug treatment center instead. 181 00:12:07,830 --> 00:12:12,110 I just want everybody to know that that Friday night group that I do now, it's 182 00:12:12,110 --> 00:12:13,230 called The Road to Sobriety. 183 00:12:13,670 --> 00:12:16,210 Today, Tammy Carroll is clean and sober. 184 00:12:17,410 --> 00:12:20,710 She now works with people dealing with addictions of their own. 185 00:12:21,210 --> 00:12:27,070 I am using my past as a way to help others instead of it just being all 186 00:12:27,070 --> 00:12:28,070 time. 187 00:12:28,350 --> 00:12:33,180 And after three years apart, Tammy's three oldest children have been returned 188 00:12:33,180 --> 00:12:39,860 her. I work now, and I make in a month what I used to make in a day. So it's 189 00:12:39,860 --> 00:12:45,880 different, but I feel so much better about myself. There's nothing, no drug, 190 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:51,820 check, no fraud, no identity theft in the world can make me feel like I do 191 00:12:51,820 --> 00:12:52,820 today. 192 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:58,280 While Tammy has been able to reclaim her life, Virginia Deset is still trying to 193 00:12:58,280 --> 00:12:59,280 put hers together. 194 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:04,140 After being victimized by the identity thieves and wrongfully arrested, the 195 00:13:04,140 --> 00:13:07,960 charges against DeSette have been dropped, but her arrest record remains. 196 00:13:08,700 --> 00:13:12,500 When the charges have been dropped, it's for lack of evidence. 197 00:13:13,180 --> 00:13:14,820 It's not because you were innocent. 198 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:19,180 It's because we don't have enough evidence to prove that you did it, so 199 00:13:19,180 --> 00:13:20,180 going to have to let it go. 200 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,520 Well, that's not good enough. 201 00:13:25,070 --> 00:13:28,930 And there is no end in sight to the growing problems of identity theft and 202 00:13:28,930 --> 00:13:29,930 addiction. 203 00:13:30,270 --> 00:13:33,050 But Colorado has decided to fight back. 204 00:13:33,510 --> 00:13:38,110 Let's talk about West Metro, North Metro. We don't need names today. 205 00:13:38,370 --> 00:13:40,750 Just give me some general idea where we're at with that. 206 00:13:40,970 --> 00:13:45,470 At the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, there is a new team of agents at work. 207 00:13:45,670 --> 00:13:50,050 They are known as Criminal Fraud Investigators, or CFI. 208 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:54,620 briefly gone through the report. There's a lot of compromised checking accounts. 209 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:59,400 We're looking for those templates and those information, photos of the group 210 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:00,400 that they have used. 211 00:14:00,820 --> 00:14:04,360 And they are tasked with cracking one of Colorado's most prolific crimes. 212 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:09,700 Identity theft is a problem that affects not just individual victims, but major 213 00:14:09,700 --> 00:14:10,840 financial institutions. 214 00:14:11,460 --> 00:14:16,240 For Colorado banks, the losses to identity theft fraud have been growing 215 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:17,240 nearly a decade. 216 00:14:17,740 --> 00:14:21,720 It's enormous, and that has meant it's been our number one priority for about a 217 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:22,720 half a dozen years. 218 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:28,320 Bankers started complaining about it around 2000. We then put together an 219 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:33,680 estimate that fraud costs Colorado banks $150 million a year. 220 00:14:34,260 --> 00:14:38,660 Last year, the Colorado Bankers Association decided to take action. 221 00:14:38,860 --> 00:14:44,160 They created legislation that provides dedicated funding for the CBI fraud 222 00:14:44,980 --> 00:14:48,800 Agent Kirsten Gregg and Donya Davis are part of the team. 223 00:14:49,140 --> 00:14:52,780 Well, today we're going to go look for a woman whose name is Kimberly, and she's 224 00:14:52,780 --> 00:14:54,920 an identity thief, and she's also a meth addict. 225 00:14:55,640 --> 00:15:00,040 The suspect is Kimberly Merritt. She has already confessed to stealing the 226 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,000 identities of at least four women. 227 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:09,380 Between October of last year to March of this year, she was able to scam $140 228 00:15:09,380 --> 00:15:11,500 ,000 or thereabouts. 229 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:16,180 Merritt and her associates allegedly gain access to their victims' personal 230 00:15:16,180 --> 00:15:20,140 information with a file -sharing application called LimeWire. 231 00:15:20,340 --> 00:15:24,680 They search for unsecured computers and secretly download banking information 232 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:26,500 and social security numbers. 233 00:15:26,940 --> 00:15:32,100 She would memorize their information, go out and purchase vehicles, get lines of 234 00:15:32,100 --> 00:15:36,080 credit, open up credit card accounts, buy cell phones. 235 00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:37,780 She stole quite a bit of money. 236 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,820 For these agents, it's a typical identity theft case. 237 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:44,100 with close ties to the meth trade. 238 00:15:44,700 --> 00:15:48,700 So if you come across an identity theft case, a lot of times you'll come across 239 00:15:48,700 --> 00:15:52,120 the methamphetamine as well. Almost like 9 out of 10 cases, they're linked. 240 00:15:53,020 --> 00:15:57,340 The suspect is currently out on bond, and the agents believe she could be 241 00:15:57,340 --> 00:16:02,440 targeting even more victims, committing new identity thefts in order to fund her 242 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:03,440 meth habit. 243 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:08,360 We suspect that she could be continuing her criminal activities, so we want to 244 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,740 go out and see what she's up to. If she's there, we want to talk to her, do 245 00:16:12,740 --> 00:16:17,040 little bit of follow -up in our investigation, maybe follow around, see 246 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:18,120 doing anything she shouldn't be doing. 247 00:16:18,620 --> 00:16:21,080 We're looking for Kim. Do you have any idea where she's at? 248 00:16:37,260 --> 00:16:42,580 Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents Donya Davis and Kirsten Gregg are hot on 249 00:16:42,580 --> 00:16:46,660 the trail of an identity thief, and they have invited American Greed to ride 250 00:16:46,660 --> 00:16:51,540 along. The suspect's name is Kim Merritt. She has confessed to stealing 251 00:16:51,540 --> 00:16:54,760 identities of four innocent women, and she is out on bond. 252 00:16:55,220 --> 00:16:58,460 She stole quite a bit of money, and assuming these women's identity, you are 253 00:16:58,460 --> 00:17:02,620 probably going to have to take years to rehab their credit. 254 00:17:03,340 --> 00:17:07,890 Merritt, like most of Denver's identity thieves, is also a meth addict. 255 00:17:08,410 --> 00:17:12,750 It's always good also to keep an eye on your suspects that you're investigating. 256 00:17:13,170 --> 00:17:16,990 They don't stop their criminal activities, so it's good to keep an eye 257 00:17:17,690 --> 00:17:23,490 25 miles outside Denver in the desolate plains, Greg and Davis arrive at Tim's 258 00:17:23,490 --> 00:17:27,710 last known address, an RV that belongs to the suspect's boyfriend. 259 00:17:31,510 --> 00:17:32,510 Where's Tim at? 260 00:17:32,790 --> 00:17:33,649 I don't know. 261 00:17:33,650 --> 00:17:34,890 She's not living with you? 262 00:17:35,620 --> 00:17:37,540 You don't mind if we step in there? 263 00:17:38,900 --> 00:17:42,680 She is in there. She is in there? Yeah. Okay, well, we need to speak to her, 264 00:17:42,740 --> 00:17:43,679 okay? 265 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:49,000 Inside the RV, agents find Kim Merritt. She is surrounded by credit documents, 266 00:17:49,180 --> 00:17:52,020 the first clue to possible financial fraud. 267 00:17:52,460 --> 00:17:53,460 How are you doing? 268 00:17:53,580 --> 00:17:55,000 We need to speak to you. 269 00:17:55,260 --> 00:17:59,560 I need to see how you're holding up and what you're doing here, and I can see 270 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,480 you're doing the same identity theft. 271 00:18:02,260 --> 00:18:06,920 After reading the woman her Miranda rights, Agent Davis questions Merritt 272 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:08,440 the papers in her possession. 273 00:18:08,940 --> 00:18:12,640 And this account, did you use anybody else's social security number when you 274 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:13,640 opened this account? 275 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,080 No, ma 'am. This is a legit account? Because you know I'm going to check it. 276 00:18:17,260 --> 00:18:22,380 Yeah. Merritt denies any other identity theft or fraud, but the agents aren't 277 00:18:22,380 --> 00:18:23,500 too quick to believe her. 278 00:18:23,900 --> 00:18:25,540 Okay, last name is Merritt. 279 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:27,720 M -E -R -R -I -T -T. 280 00:18:28,460 --> 00:18:33,520 While Agent Gregg calls in to check on possible warrants, Agent Davis spots 281 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:35,300 paraphernalia near the suspect. 282 00:18:35,980 --> 00:18:40,580 I do see that there is a crack pipe right here. So you've been using drugs 283 00:18:41,740 --> 00:18:43,680 When was the last time you used? Not today. 284 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:44,899 Not today. 285 00:18:44,900 --> 00:18:49,740 Okay. When I then prompted her on if there were any drugs still there, she 286 00:18:49,740 --> 00:18:54,380 initially denied it and then said that she did have just a little bit left. She 287 00:18:54,380 --> 00:18:59,140 then showed me the small, clear plastic baggie that had the suspected 288 00:18:59,140 --> 00:19:00,160 methamphetamine. 289 00:19:01,850 --> 00:19:04,590 It sits there, and I fight the temptation, the temptation, the 290 00:19:04,830 --> 00:19:08,070 Remember what I said to you. It makes it even harder if you have it sit right 291 00:19:08,070 --> 00:19:13,110 there. So classic case of an identity thief who's sitting there looking at her 292 00:19:13,110 --> 00:19:17,590 documents and finding out what she has and then her addiction right next to 293 00:19:17,890 --> 00:19:22,210 In addition to the meth, agents find several credit cards in Merritt's purse, 294 00:19:22,470 --> 00:19:25,130 more possible evidence of identity theft. 295 00:19:26,010 --> 00:19:29,650 Those are legit me and my name in copy. What's on the prepaid? Anything on it? A 296 00:19:29,650 --> 00:19:30,650 dollar. Okay. 297 00:19:32,910 --> 00:19:34,790 And that's my Sam's Club card. 298 00:19:34,990 --> 00:19:35,990 Okay. It's free. 299 00:19:36,630 --> 00:19:38,490 I'm always afraid to sometimes open the fridge. 300 00:19:39,390 --> 00:19:43,970 There was some documentation in there. It looks like envelopes from the loan 301 00:19:43,970 --> 00:19:47,950 that we had previously known about, the credit cards, even though she says 302 00:19:47,950 --> 00:19:50,480 it's... A prepaid credit card, still very concerning. 303 00:19:50,820 --> 00:19:52,020 You know, how did she get that? 304 00:19:52,300 --> 00:19:55,480 There was a credit card statement in there. 305 00:19:55,780 --> 00:19:57,240 Obviously, we're going to have to look at that. 306 00:19:57,500 --> 00:20:00,920 So it's very concerning. And obviously, she admitted she's still using drugs, 307 00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:04,440 which she claims is why she does all of this. 308 00:20:04,780 --> 00:20:09,380 A warrant comes back on Merrick for violating probation on a previous 309 00:20:09,380 --> 00:20:10,380 theft conviction. 310 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:12,500 And she will have to go to jail. 311 00:20:12,980 --> 00:20:15,480 Just go ahead and put your hands down below your lower back. 312 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:16,920 Just relax. Just relax. 313 00:20:20,679 --> 00:20:25,800 She said it was the drugs. It's the drugs that make her do all this. And 314 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:30,880 just an all -consuming lifestyle that all they care about is their next fix 315 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:32,720 how to stay high and how to get there. 316 00:20:32,980 --> 00:20:36,500 And if you're not working, how do you pay for that drug habit? And it's very 317 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:39,180 easy for them to go into the identity theft. 318 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,320 What happened? I heard bits and pieces, but I didn't hear the story. 319 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:47,200 Well, we did go out there, and she was there, and she was... 320 00:20:47,580 --> 00:20:52,840 In the trailer, surrounded by documents with her meth pipe right next to her and 321 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:54,500 her little bindle of meth with her. 322 00:20:54,940 --> 00:20:56,340 Okay, good, good. 323 00:20:56,540 --> 00:20:57,880 Well, that case is having a good result. 324 00:20:58,200 --> 00:20:59,240 And it's continuing. 325 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:04,320 There is really no final stage to it until she is convicted, because she 326 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:08,200 very well be out today and back at it again. 327 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,940 The agents are left to build a case against Kim Merritt before she targets 328 00:21:12,940 --> 00:21:15,460 more victims, like Anita Janz. 329 00:21:16,030 --> 00:21:19,230 I was on the phone talking to a mortgage broker. 330 00:21:19,870 --> 00:21:24,650 I was shopping for a better rate on my mortgage of my current home. 331 00:21:25,530 --> 00:21:30,950 And he goes, oh, I see you have more than one mortgage. And I go, uh, no, I 332 00:21:30,950 --> 00:21:31,950 don't think so. What? 333 00:21:32,490 --> 00:21:38,030 In September of 2005, Janz learns that someone has stolen her identity and 334 00:21:38,030 --> 00:21:41,290 bought nearly $1 million in properties in her name. 335 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,840 You're just like in panic and scared and what am I responsible for? 336 00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:52,940 And so in trying to figure out what to do and then you're 337 00:21:52,940 --> 00:21:58,240 trying to find, call and contact the mortgage companies, the title companies. 338 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:03,400 The average victim of identity theft spends 600 hours cleaning up their 339 00:22:03,980 --> 00:22:08,780 After eight months of trying to do it on her own, Jans decides to call in 340 00:22:08,780 --> 00:22:09,780 professional help. 341 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:11,919 I .D. 342 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:16,440 Watchdog is a young company getting in on the ground floor of the identity 343 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,040 protection and rehab industry. 344 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:22,160 Number one, they come to us to make sure that it's done completely, and they 345 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,420 come to us to make sure that they don't have to spend their own time doing it. 346 00:22:25,900 --> 00:22:27,320 So you want to hear about the latest? 347 00:22:27,580 --> 00:22:28,179 I do. 348 00:22:28,180 --> 00:22:29,180 Okay, well, good. 349 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,860 Now, the end of Janz's credit nightmare is finally in sight. 350 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:37,360 In about a week, they should have a clearance letter and everything taken 351 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:38,880 of from your credit report standpoint. 352 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,260 Wow. I can't tell you what good news this is. 353 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,180 And individuals are not the only ones seeking professional help. 354 00:22:46,940 --> 00:22:51,640 Businesses are suffering losses upwards of $48 billion a year to identity theft 355 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:52,640 fraud. 356 00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:56,220 Now companies are starting to take matters into their own hands. 357 00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:01,340 They are attempting to outsmart the thieves by hiring one of their own. 358 00:23:02,380 --> 00:23:06,700 And that's where companies hire us to physically go in, or sometimes remote, 359 00:23:06,700 --> 00:23:10,140 break into their facility and see if we can get a hold of their data by just 360 00:23:10,140 --> 00:23:11,720 walking in the front door and taking something. 361 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:17,240 Jim Stickley owns a company called Trace Security, and it's his job to make sure 362 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:19,700 employers are protected from identity theft. 363 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,060 He does that by stealing from them. 364 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:24,120 We have a huge success rate. 365 00:23:24,340 --> 00:23:29,380 When a new organization hires us, we go in. If we get caught, it's almost a 366 00:23:29,380 --> 00:23:30,800 surprise to us at this point. 367 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:32,960 It's just, it's really easy. 368 00:23:33,260 --> 00:23:38,700 In one of Stickney's most common schemes, he dresses as a fire inspector, 369 00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:43,280 a business, such as a bank, and tells employees he needs to do an inspection. 370 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,520 You know, we don't say we're with the fire department. Our shirt is a very 371 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,560 generic shirt. We do have a fake badge, but the badge just says that we're there 372 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,340 to do a fire inspection. It doesn't have anything official at all. 373 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:54,880 But we look good. You know, we're in this little uniform. 374 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,420 And they go, oh, okay, and they just give you the keys to the kingdom. We 375 00:23:58,460 --> 00:24:00,680 okay, we're going to walk your whole facility. We always have our black bags 376 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:01,379 that are empty. 377 00:24:01,380 --> 00:24:03,920 And we just go, and the main thing we go after is their data center, and we 378 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:04,920 steal all their backup tapes. 379 00:24:05,940 --> 00:24:10,860 Close to 90 % of the time, Stickley and his crew gain access to the business's 380 00:24:10,860 --> 00:24:11,860 customer files. 381 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:15,680 And if you're at a bank and you have their backup tapes, that's every 382 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,700 security number, mother's maiden name, everything you ever had, and we've 383 00:24:19,700 --> 00:24:20,700 out the front door with it. 384 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,920 Luckily, Stickley is one of the good guys. 385 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:28,440 Instead of turning stolen identities into cash, he returns his loot to the 386 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:30,720 business and tells them what went wrong. 387 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:34,920 We go back a couple days later, and we meet with our staff, and they see all 388 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:36,440 stuff that we got, and they're just... 389 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,860 You know, first of all, we were there in a uniform just a couple days earlier, 390 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:42,160 and now we're there in street clothes, and they realize they're putting it 391 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,720 together in the room and going, this guy wasn't who he was supposed to be. And, 392 00:24:45,780 --> 00:24:49,820 you know, I'm not silver -tongued, but I'm just a nice, average guy, and that's 393 00:24:49,820 --> 00:24:50,820 all it takes. 394 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:56,200 For Stickley, committing identity theft would be easy, and the real criminals 395 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:57,480 know this all too well. 396 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:03,220 Anita Janz believes the best way to stop identity theft is to avoid becoming a 397 00:25:03,220 --> 00:25:04,540 victim in the first place. 398 00:25:05,130 --> 00:25:09,370 These people who are dishonest, they don't want your property or your car or 399 00:25:09,370 --> 00:25:13,310 your stereo. They want your identity because they can do a lot more with 400 00:25:14,750 --> 00:25:18,750 That's your most precious commodity is what I want people to know. 401 00:25:18,990 --> 00:25:21,930 So you have to live differently, be more aware. 402 00:25:23,290 --> 00:25:27,730 Coming up on American Greed, a robber who steals from more than just money. 403 00:25:27,970 --> 00:25:32,610 Maybe it's more for thrill -seeking, maybe just for the adrenaline rush. 404 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,160 and grows more commanding with each hit. 405 00:25:35,460 --> 00:25:40,220 I just prayed that he wouldn't get so nervous that he would shoot us. 406 00:25:40,500 --> 00:25:42,980 The hunt is on for the Wheaton Bandit. 407 00:25:57,740 --> 00:26:01,360 Wheaton, Illinois, an affluent western suburb of Chicago. 408 00:26:02,090 --> 00:26:06,270 But to the outside world appears to be as safe an apple pie as any suburb can 409 00:26:06,270 --> 00:26:09,530 be. It's considered a nice place to raise a family. 410 00:26:09,970 --> 00:26:16,650 But since 2002, one shadow hangs ominously over this city, a serial bank 411 00:26:16,670 --> 00:26:23,010 armed and ready for a fight, who has hit 16 times and is still walking the 412 00:26:23,010 --> 00:26:24,010 streets. 413 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:41,680 In the early morning hours, the bandit hides in these bushes, waiting for 414 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:42,960 tellers to open the bank. 415 00:26:43,220 --> 00:26:47,520 As the employees stand at the door, the bandit strikes, gun in hand. 416 00:26:48,060 --> 00:26:52,040 Once inside, he orders the tellers to unlock the vault and hand over their 417 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:56,880 drawers. He grabs the cash himself, then forces the tellers to the floor, 418 00:26:57,060 --> 00:27:00,380 warning them not to do anything for five minutes or else he'll come back. 419 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,680 He disappears into the early morning with nearly $14 ,000. 420 00:27:05,900 --> 00:27:09,420 Police and the FBI call him the Wheaton Bandit. 421 00:27:10,460 --> 00:27:12,540 This was the first robbery. 422 00:27:12,900 --> 00:27:17,920 Tina Forkus and Eric Cayley are the FBI agents in charge of the Wheaton Bandit 423 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:23,160 investigation. We believe he probably hid here, and then this way you could 424 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:24,160 a clear line of sight. 425 00:27:24,570 --> 00:27:28,710 and watch the employees as they arrived at work that morning, and then just 426 00:27:28,710 --> 00:27:33,730 discreetly go down the hill here and be able to catch them as they were entering 427 00:27:33,730 --> 00:27:34,730 the banks of the morning. 428 00:27:34,910 --> 00:27:39,550 From this vantage point, the bandit can plan his attack and his escape. 429 00:27:39,850 --> 00:27:45,650 And directly on the other side of this wood line is a small subdivision that 430 00:27:45,650 --> 00:27:49,670 a cul -de -sac located directly behind the wood line, which could provide a 431 00:27:49,670 --> 00:27:52,950 perfect escape route for him if he was to park a car. 432 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:59,160 Tellers described the Wheaton Bandit as a white male in his 20s or 30s, tall 433 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:00,340 with a medium build. 434 00:28:00,620 --> 00:28:06,660 He's dressed in a coat, jeans, gym shoes, gloves, and a mask. 435 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:12,060 The Wheaton Bandit robber, the tactical hood that he wears, is not a typical ski 436 00:28:12,060 --> 00:28:16,840 mask that we see a lot in bank robberies. It's considered a balc lava, 437 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:17,900 a tactical hood. 438 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:22,840 You often see it used by undercover drug agents, SWAT operators, and military 439 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:23,840 personnel. 440 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:30,180 One of the things that does stand out in most of these robberies is that most of 441 00:28:30,180 --> 00:28:33,220 the tellers have said he does have very striking blue eyes. 442 00:28:33,420 --> 00:28:37,460 The eyes behind the mask are one of the few clues police have. 443 00:28:37,780 --> 00:28:41,140 One of the things that he's done early on was try to rob banks in inclement 444 00:28:41,140 --> 00:28:44,900 weather. I mean, it gives him a good excuse to cover up his face and cover up 445 00:28:44,900 --> 00:28:45,900 his head. 446 00:28:46,060 --> 00:28:50,640 Police say the serial bank robber is becoming more bold and more aggressive, 447 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:52,220 they're sure he will strike again. 448 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:05,520 The Wheaton Bandit returns to this small branch and robs it for a third time. 449 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:10,440 I looked towards the door, and there's a man standing there with a gun pointing 450 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:11,179 at me. 451 00:29:11,180 --> 00:29:13,900 Janet England has been a teller for 17 years. 452 00:29:14,750 --> 00:29:19,310 Today is the first time she's come face to face with a robber or a gun. 453 00:29:19,870 --> 00:29:24,610 I could not look at this man. I was too scared to look up at him. 454 00:29:25,010 --> 00:29:30,550 And he said, I know you have more money. And I said, I have no more money. And I 455 00:29:30,550 --> 00:29:33,590 put my hands like this. I would not look at him. 456 00:29:33,970 --> 00:29:40,090 I just prayed that he wouldn't get so nervous that he would shoot us. 457 00:29:41,770 --> 00:29:45,010 What the bandit says next gives police a possible clue. 458 00:29:45,630 --> 00:29:52,510 He got really nervous and very mad at me when he saw that I had a dye pack in 459 00:29:52,510 --> 00:29:53,109 the drawer. 460 00:29:53,110 --> 00:29:57,930 A dye pack is a small explosive charge that, when detonated, stains the money 461 00:29:57,930 --> 00:30:02,290 and sometimes the robber. He said to me, he says, what do you think I am, 462 00:30:02,350 --> 00:30:06,290 stupid? He said, I used to work in a bank, and I know what that is. 463 00:30:06,610 --> 00:30:09,970 The Wintry robberies may help shield the bandit's identity. 464 00:30:10,620 --> 00:30:14,720 But they also give police more clues, his shoe prints and escape routes. 465 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,380 The Wheaton bandit ran out of the bank, came across this grassy area, which 466 00:30:19,380 --> 00:30:20,620 happened to have snow at the time. 467 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,260 Wheaton detective Steve Hamill retraces one escape. 468 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,280 He ran down the sidewalk here. 469 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:32,440 As he gets up to the next block, you can see in the snow where he turns to the 470 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,940 left. It was about halfway down the block where you can see he's got a car 471 00:30:35,940 --> 00:30:39,400 parked. It's a one -way street, and you can see footprints leading up to the 472 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:42,920 driver's side of the door, which indicate to us that he is working alone. 473 00:30:43,180 --> 00:30:47,420 As lead investigator, Hamill searches for why the bandit strikes. 474 00:30:47,860 --> 00:30:53,240 Investigations, Hamill. We don't believe he has a drug habit. We don't believe 475 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,540 that this is driven by a gambling problem. 476 00:30:56,740 --> 00:31:00,320 The dollar amounts that he's been getting wouldn't indicate that. 477 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,660 He may not necessarily be doing these robberies just for money alone, that 478 00:31:04,660 --> 00:31:09,520 it's more for thrill -seeking, maybe just for the attention, for the 479 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:14,500 rush that he gets when he does the robberies. On May 10, 2003, the bandit 480 00:31:14,500 --> 00:31:15,960 strikes for the seventh time. 481 00:31:16,260 --> 00:31:18,260 His take is nearly $17 ,000. 482 00:31:18,700 --> 00:31:23,560 The FBI studies the Wheaton bandit, taking note of his unique habits or 483 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:24,560 signatures. 484 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:26,160 The Wheaton bandit. 485 00:31:26,700 --> 00:31:28,660 does what is considered indexing the weapon. 486 00:31:28,900 --> 00:31:33,160 That is, as he's holding the weapon, he actually keeps his finger along the 487 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:36,620 slide of the gun and not in the trigger. It's a safety precaution that is used 488 00:31:36,620 --> 00:31:39,240 by many people who are trained in firearms, including military and law 489 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:43,560 enforcement. We do believe that the Wheaton Bandit uses a police scanner. 490 00:31:43,780 --> 00:31:49,460 The witnesses said that he would say, I have a police scanner. I know if you'll 491 00:31:49,460 --> 00:31:50,439 call the police. 492 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:55,430 In reviewing the video surveillance footage from Wheaton Bandit robberies, 493 00:31:55,430 --> 00:31:59,290 are several images that lead us to believe that the Wheaton bandit is 494 00:31:59,290 --> 00:32:01,210 wearing body armor under his clothing. 495 00:32:01,450 --> 00:32:06,470 A soft body armor, similar to the one I'm holding here, oftentimes causes 496 00:32:06,470 --> 00:32:09,450 outlines on a layer of clothing if worn underneath. 497 00:32:10,570 --> 00:32:15,430 These signatures suggest that the bandit may have police or military training. 498 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:20,580 What's very alarming to us is the fact that he does have the body armor on. I 499 00:32:20,580 --> 00:32:23,880 mean, you wear body armor because you don't want to get shot, and that tells 500 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:28,300 that he's prepared to exchange gunfire with responding police officers or FBI 501 00:32:28,300 --> 00:32:29,300 agents. 502 00:32:30,380 --> 00:32:34,540 Eight hits through 2003 net the bandit almost $84 ,000. 503 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:39,540 What law enforcement has learned up to this point leads to a disturbing 504 00:32:39,540 --> 00:32:45,400 hypothesis. When we return, could the Wheaton bandit be a police officer? 505 00:32:47,150 --> 00:32:51,870 If he is law enforcement, is he current law enforcement? And if he is current 506 00:32:51,870 --> 00:32:57,090 law enforcement, how much of what we know and what we're doing does he know? 507 00:32:57,610 --> 00:32:58,670 That's the bad part. 508 00:33:02,210 --> 00:33:08,150 For more information and special web exclusives, log on to AmericanGreed 509 00:33:08,150 --> 00:33:09,150 .com. 510 00:33:22,090 --> 00:33:25,010 What you are watching is the Wheaton Bandit in action. 511 00:33:25,270 --> 00:33:27,730 The date is August 28, 2003. 512 00:33:28,430 --> 00:33:32,290 He's fully disguised, gun drawn, threatening teller. 513 00:33:33,030 --> 00:33:37,510 When he enters, then he would actually order all the employees to the floor. 514 00:33:37,770 --> 00:33:41,950 Since his spree began in 2002, the Wheaton Bandit has eluded authorities. 515 00:33:42,650 --> 00:33:46,650 Special Agent Tina Forkus and Eric Cayley are tasked with chasing him down. 516 00:33:46,910 --> 00:33:49,970 If there are tellers that are down on the floor, he makes them get back up. He 517 00:33:49,970 --> 00:33:51,050 will give them orders directly. 518 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:55,860 to remove their cash drawers by placing the trays up on this counter. 519 00:33:56,060 --> 00:34:00,120 The Department of Justice classifies a criminal like the Wheaton Bandit as a 520 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:01,640 professional bank robber. 521 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,880 He hits at different times of day when few customers are present. 522 00:34:06,300 --> 00:34:08,639 He gives himself clear exit paths. 523 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:14,020 He uses a disguise to defeat bank identification systems. 524 00:34:14,639 --> 00:34:19,020 And in more than five years, he has hit 16 times. 525 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:21,480 failing only once. 526 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:40,500 It's 6 .37 a .m., and the Wheaton Bandit returns to the scene of his first 527 00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:45,080 robbery. He's once again hiding in the bushes, waiting to attack. 528 00:34:45,929 --> 00:34:49,610 I was already in the bank. I had come in to check everything out, make sure 529 00:34:49,610 --> 00:34:50,790 everything in the bank was secure. 530 00:34:51,469 --> 00:34:55,050 I went back to this front door to let the teller in. 531 00:34:55,290 --> 00:34:58,490 Jennifer is a teller supervisor for West Suburban Bank. 532 00:34:58,870 --> 00:35:02,850 I heard sticks breaking in the back corner by the drive -up ATM sign. 533 00:35:03,430 --> 00:35:06,110 I told her to hurry up, and I said, somebody's coming. 534 00:35:06,770 --> 00:35:10,730 And that's when she turned and ran into the bank, and I locked the doors that 535 00:35:10,730 --> 00:35:12,530 she grabbed for the handle to open the door. 536 00:35:14,230 --> 00:35:17,740 Finding himself locked out, The would -be robber turns and pleads. 537 00:35:18,900 --> 00:35:22,960 Both women are terribly shaken, but Jennifer's will isn't broken. 538 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:28,000 It was a bad thing to happen, but it doesn't mean I'm going to leave my 539 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,320 and change my career. He's not going to force me out of it. 540 00:35:32,340 --> 00:35:36,340 Suburban police are on the lookout for a serial bank robber tonight, a gunman 541 00:35:36,340 --> 00:35:39,780 who has held up seven banks and a credit union over the past two years. 542 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:41,820 The new year starts off with a bang. 543 00:35:42,570 --> 00:35:47,390 The Wheaton Bandit hits this credit union in Winfield, a suburb bordering 544 00:35:47,390 --> 00:35:50,770 Wheaton. His take, nearly $17 ,000. 545 00:35:51,670 --> 00:35:55,410 This is the credit union that was hit on January 22, 2004. 546 00:35:56,250 --> 00:35:57,530 The Wheaton Bandit. 547 00:35:57,820 --> 00:36:01,000 Walked in, took over the bank, pointed a handgun at the tellers, ordered 548 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:04,740 everyone to the ground, had them put their drawers up on top, removed all the 549 00:36:04,740 --> 00:36:05,459 money himself. 550 00:36:05,460 --> 00:36:07,060 He was in and out in 60 seconds. 551 00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:10,180 Surveillance tape shows him running this way where he believed he had a car 552 00:36:10,180 --> 00:36:11,980 waiting for him, and then he left from there. 553 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:16,880 To improve their chances of identifying the Wheaton Bandit, banks and law 554 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:21,520 enforcement turned to a reliable weapon, a cash reward of $5 ,000. 555 00:36:22,540 --> 00:36:23,820 Historically, rewards work. 556 00:36:24,580 --> 00:36:26,640 Ask FBI or law enforcement. 557 00:36:27,210 --> 00:36:29,350 When a reward is put out, it gets people's attention. 558 00:36:30,210 --> 00:36:33,250 The reward soon grows to $25 ,000. 559 00:36:33,710 --> 00:36:38,650 We're hoping that someone in the public will try to help out law enforcement, 560 00:36:38,710 --> 00:36:42,670 help out their community, and also collect that reward money. 561 00:36:43,330 --> 00:36:48,710 While rewards are great for capturing robbers, banks are focusing more of 562 00:36:48,710 --> 00:36:50,630 efforts on preventing robberies. 563 00:36:51,230 --> 00:36:54,470 An effective deterrent is a greeter in the bank's lobby. 564 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,740 A greeter is simply an employee that seeks to engage a customer as they're 565 00:36:58,740 --> 00:37:03,060 walking into the bank, make eye contact with that person to let that person know 566 00:37:03,060 --> 00:37:06,620 they're being watched and they're welcomed into the institution, but also 567 00:37:06,620 --> 00:37:07,840 watched by the institution. 568 00:37:08,500 --> 00:37:12,820 So why not station an armed guard at the door, a greeter with a gun? 569 00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:18,080 There is no guarantee that a bank will not get robbed if there is an armed 570 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:19,080 at the front door. 571 00:37:19,420 --> 00:37:23,220 If a bank was to get robbed with an armed guard, historically and 572 00:37:23,620 --> 00:37:27,180 the chances of something bad happening drastically increase. 573 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:33,520 Banks are also creating policies to deter potential bank robbers. One policy 574 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:36,840 called No Hats, No Hoods, No Sunglasses. 575 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:43,340 The No Hats, No Hoods, No Sunglasses program is really intended to discourage 576 00:37:43,340 --> 00:37:46,920 prospective bank robbers from even attempting to rob a bank. 577 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:51,440 West Suburban Bank is one of the first banks in Illinois to implement the 578 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:56,480 program. The program is pretty simple. We post a sign at the front doors of 579 00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:01,200 every one of our branches, and we ask our customers to remove any half -hood 580 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,080 sunglasses upon entering our banks. 581 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:08,520 By the end of 2004, the Wheaton Bandit has pulled off nine successful bank 582 00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:12,780 robberies. Despite deterrence and their best efforts, police believe he will 583 00:38:12,780 --> 00:38:13,678 strike again. 584 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,980 When American Greed returns, the investigation heats up. 585 00:38:17,260 --> 00:38:19,840 as the Wheaton Bandit makes a critical mistake. 586 00:38:36,820 --> 00:38:40,880 In 2005, the Wheaton Bandit is again making news. 587 00:38:41,470 --> 00:38:46,010 Tonight, a serial bank robber is still on the move, and the FBI wants your help 588 00:38:46,010 --> 00:38:47,030 to try to track him down. 589 00:38:47,250 --> 00:38:52,090 On January 14th, he strikes for the 11th time at a Mid -America bank in Glen 590 00:38:52,090 --> 00:38:53,090 Ellyn, Illinois. 591 00:38:53,350 --> 00:38:57,470 Within the next 12 months, the Wheaton Bandit hits two more banks in Chicago's 592 00:38:57,470 --> 00:39:00,570 western suburbs, bringing his total to 13. 593 00:39:01,050 --> 00:39:03,370 Law enforcement needs to catch a break. 594 00:39:03,590 --> 00:39:06,630 On November 29th, 2006, they get one. 595 00:39:06,870 --> 00:39:08,450 A possible eyewitness. 596 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:21,140 We're at the Fifth Third Bank. That was the 14th robbery. It was hit on November 597 00:39:21,140 --> 00:39:22,300 29th of 2006. 598 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:27,120 He did approximately about 4 .50, just 10 minutes before they closed. 599 00:39:28,420 --> 00:39:31,620 Approximately one hour before that, we had a witness in a car stating that he 600 00:39:31,620 --> 00:39:35,820 ran into the possible suspect that he encountered right over by that stop sign 601 00:39:35,820 --> 00:39:39,820 there. He went to talk to him. He thought it was his brother. When he 602 00:39:39,820 --> 00:39:43,540 it was, then he kind of stopped and feel that he startled him. Gave him an old 603 00:39:43,540 --> 00:39:44,540 sorry wave. 604 00:39:44,810 --> 00:39:47,130 As he left, he looked back in his mirror and noticed that the guy was still 605 00:39:47,130 --> 00:39:48,130 standing there. 606 00:39:48,670 --> 00:39:53,030 That eyewitness helps police artists develop this sketch of a potential 607 00:39:53,430 --> 00:39:56,770 But before the sketch can go public, the bandit strikes again. 608 00:39:57,010 --> 00:40:01,050 On December 1st, the Wheaton bandit robs this bank in Geneva, Illinois. 609 00:40:01,590 --> 00:40:04,490 Six days later, he robs another in Glen Ellyn. 610 00:40:05,050 --> 00:40:09,230 Then, on December 11th, 2006, the sketch is released. 611 00:40:09,710 --> 00:40:13,090 The Wheaton bandit vanishes, and the robberies stop. 612 00:40:13,850 --> 00:40:17,970 There's some talk, is this a swan song for him? You know, the grand finale, 613 00:40:18,270 --> 00:40:21,910 three bank robberies in eight days. I do not think this is a grand finale. 614 00:40:22,310 --> 00:40:26,430 It's almost as if he's taunting police and FBI agents to a certain degree. 615 00:40:26,650 --> 00:40:30,770 We may find that if he does rob another bank, that he may go outside of his 616 00:40:30,770 --> 00:40:35,230 comfort zone a little bit, thinking that, you know, that was a close one and 617 00:40:35,230 --> 00:40:38,910 almost got caught, so he better be a little bit more cautious on the next 618 00:40:40,090 --> 00:40:43,810 Historically bank robbers have counted on disguises to help hide their 619 00:40:43,810 --> 00:40:47,210 identities. But what about the quality of bank surveillance? 620 00:40:48,110 --> 00:40:54,630 In years past, recorders usually tape over the tape over and over again, and 621 00:40:54,630 --> 00:40:58,930 images begin to be faded when they're transmitted to law enforcement. 622 00:40:59,210 --> 00:41:04,450 You might have a videotape that was used and replayed and recorded over many 623 00:41:04,450 --> 00:41:08,850 hundreds of times, and so when that robbery actually occurred, you have a 624 00:41:08,850 --> 00:41:09,850 grainy picture. 625 00:41:10,030 --> 00:41:14,010 Today, the digital revolution is changing bank security options. 626 00:41:14,750 --> 00:41:20,190 One company named 3VR Security has introduced intelligent video management 627 00:41:20,190 --> 00:41:25,910 systems, which uses facial recognition technology to alert bank personnel when 628 00:41:25,910 --> 00:41:28,170 known fraud artist or robber enters a bank. 629 00:41:29,010 --> 00:41:33,950 Why don't we first of all go through our suspect list, quickly go through the 630 00:41:33,950 --> 00:41:37,810 ones that we have not ruled out yet. With the Wheaton Bandit investigation 631 00:41:37,810 --> 00:41:43,490 to enter its fifth year, police and the FBI join forces to create a task force. 632 00:41:44,510 --> 00:41:48,710 They process more than 100 tips and investigate dozens of suspects. 633 00:41:49,510 --> 00:41:51,170 46 and 47. 634 00:41:51,810 --> 00:41:54,890 46 ruled out physical description. 635 00:41:56,150 --> 00:42:00,330 47, he was in prison during two of the robberies. 636 00:42:00,650 --> 00:42:06,030 In April of 2007, the reward also increases to $50 ,000. 637 00:42:06,450 --> 00:42:11,710 What investigators need now is for one person to step forward and identify the 638 00:42:11,710 --> 00:42:12,710 Wheaton bandit. 639 00:42:12,860 --> 00:42:16,860 Hopefully it will be a tip that comes in, just having the awareness that this 640 00:42:16,860 --> 00:42:21,380 individual is out there and being able to notice something about him, either 641 00:42:21,380 --> 00:42:25,480 that he's spending too much money or that he wears the type of clothing that 642 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:26,480 in these photographs. 643 00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:32,500 The police and FBI are ready and waiting for that call and their next shot at 644 00:42:32,500 --> 00:42:34,340 closing the Wheaton Bandit case. 645 00:42:34,740 --> 00:42:39,200 You do take pride in what you do in this profession, and that does become a 646 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:40,420 little insulting. 647 00:42:41,450 --> 00:42:42,450 You know, rightfully so. 648 00:42:42,970 --> 00:42:46,010 He's done his part of the job very well. Now we have to do ours. 649 00:42:53,990 --> 00:42:57,950 If you have information about the Wheaton Bandit robberies, please call 650 00:42:57,950 --> 00:43:02,730 Chicago FBI at 312 -421 -6700. 651 00:43:05,330 --> 00:43:06,690 In an upcoming episode. 652 00:43:07,260 --> 00:43:10,820 A Chicago doctor panics when the feds catch on to his million -dollar 653 00:43:10,820 --> 00:43:13,880 key. He kept on billing for surgeries when they weren't rendered. 654 00:43:14,140 --> 00:43:18,520 Will he go as far as murder to protect his lifestyle? Nobody in the world had 655 00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:21,940 any motive to kill Joyce Brandon except for Ron Michaels. 656 00:43:22,300 --> 00:43:24,780 Find out next time on American Green.