FBI
- A man is accused of robbing a bank after handing a note to a teller, who gave him more than $2,000.
- He was acquitted by a jury a few days earlier in a strikingly similar case.
- His lawyer had successfully argued that he used no intimidation to get the money.
A man recently declared innocent of bank robbery robbed a different bank within days of the verdict, according to federal prosecutors.
Mohamed Worku, 31, is accused of bank robbery and theft after silently handing a demand note to a teller at an Illinois Citibank on January 22, court documents show.
Less than a week earlier, Worku was found not guilty in a strikingly similar case dating back to December 2021.
The federal complaint from that time said that Worku showed up at an Illinois branch of Fifth Third Bank and approached the counter with a note saying something to the effect of "give me the money," prompting an employee to hand over $595.
Worku's defense argued that his request was not intimidating enough to qualify as robbery, whose legal definition includes the use or threat of force, the Chicago Tribune reported.
There was "no implicit or explicit threats of any kind," Worku's attorney, Mary Judge, said, according to the paper.
A federal jury found him not guilty.
Prosecutors have now said that on Monday, three days after his acquittal, Worku handed a Citibank teller a note that read: "Please give me the money. I'll pay it back soon. Banker's gife to me in advance."
FBI
The filing said that the teller "concerned about the possible escalation of the situation" handed him just over $2,000.
Worku then left the building and was caught by police roughly 45 minutes later, it said.
Federal officers, in an apparent attempt to prevent a replay of Worku's previous argument, have not only charged Worku with robbery but also theft, which does not need to involve intimidation.