Man who held up bank, got away with cash and fled, gave himself up, police say

The FBI on Monday said the man believed responsible for the robbery of Marquis Bank in Coral Gables last week turned himself in to law enforcement. The incident, at the height of rush hour on Friday afternoon, forced the evacuation of a large office building after police found a package left near the crime scene.

The bag turned out to be harmless. But the robbery left dozens of workers out in the street, caused traffic tie-ups in the Gables during a busy rush hour and left Marquis Bank short of cash.

FBI Special Agent Mike Leverock said Jorge L. Farah, 56, turned himself in to law enforcement on Saturday. He was booked into jail by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Police didn’t say how much money Farah stole, only that he got away with some cash, that there were customers in the bank during the robbery and that he fled on foot.

State records show two past brushes with the law for Farah. In 1993 he was arrested by Miami-Dade police for writing a bad check. And in 2014 he was charged with grand theft by Seminole Tribe police. Both cases were dropped.

Federal investigators say Farah walked into Marquis Bank at 355 Alhambra Circle on Friday afternoon and demanded cash. It wasn’t clear early Monday if he used a note or had a weapon. After he fled, police found what they termed a “suspicious” package near the bank.

So the 16-floor office tower was evacuated until it was determined to be safe. By early Friday evening the scene was cleared and the building and streets near the bank were re-opened.

Farah’s last known address is in Hialeah.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Man who held up bank, got away with cash and fled, gave himself up, police say."