A released bank robber left his halfway house to rob a Miami bank that he hit before
A Miami bank robber returned to the scene of the crime after his release from federal prison, robbing one of the same banks that led to his conviction in 2011.
That earned Leonard Williams, 58, another four years, nine months in federal prison after his July 19 sentencing.
Williams first went to prison after admitting to robbing five banks in October 2010, including the Citibank at 2001 Biscayne Blvd. , just north of downtown Miami. He demanded $45,000 from the bank branch, but was given only $1,659.66.
In April 2011, Williams was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Serving 85% of that sentence, 10 years and eight months, allowed him to enter supervised release on Nov. 30, 2021.
But, the Department of Justice said, Williams left his residential reentry center for a meeting with his probation officer that day and never made it. Instead, his guilty plea said, Williams turned up two days later at the Ocean Bank branch at 165 SE First St., bearing a note for the teller: “This Is A Bank Robbery Give Me All CASH 100 50 20 10 List Don’t Make It A (illegible writing).”
When the teller didn’t come across with the cash, Williams guilty plea said, he grabbed the teller counter, climbed over and yelled his demand for cash. He grabbed an Ocean Bank deposit bag, climbed back over the counter and left, leaving behind the note and his fingerprints on the counter.
The guilty plea doesn’t say when Williams discovered the deposit bag contained blank checks, parking tickets and a USB thumb drive. Justice said that’s when Williams went with what he knew, showing up at the Biscayne Boulevard Citibank with a demand note and, this time, getting $7,113 from two tellers.
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 12:06 PM.
