Recent Incident Shows That Missouri Bank Robbery Doesn't Pay

According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, the FBI is on the hunt for a serial bank robber thought to be responsible for heists in eight states, most recently two in Columbia and St. Louis, MO.

The man has been dubbed the “Bucket List Bandit” after he passed a note to a teller claiming he had only months to live. Law enforcement officials have said the specific wording of the note is not known because the bandit took it back. It wasn’t clear if the bandit wanted the money for medical care or for spending money during the course of his final few months of life.

Thankfully, no one has been hurt in any of the robberies and officials are keeping quiet about how much money the man has gotten away with. Turns out before embarking his bank-robbing spree, the man should have stopped to consult with the economists at the Royal Statistical Society and American Statistical Association. The two groups recently published a study on the economics of bank robbery and determined the crime doesn’t pay off in the end.

The researchers looked at the average loot from a bank robbery in the U.K. over a three-year period and found it came to only $31,786. Maybe not terrible, but not much given the risk associated with the crime. The researchers went further; determining that there were on average 1.6 robbers involved in each heist, which meant the total per robber came to only $19,865.

The numbers were even worse for American criminals, with the average robbery netting criminals only $4,330. Going one step further shows just how bad a decision bank robbery actually is. The group says that a full one third of attempted bank robberies failed, often resulting in lengthy prison terms, thus further diminishing any expected payout. The conclusion is clear: you’re better off sticking with minimum wage jobs and avoiding the terrible cost of losing your freedom.

If you or someone you know has been charged with a crime in the St. Louis area contact our St. Louis Criminal Defense Firm today at (314) 863-0500.

Source: “Bucket List Bandit’ Sought By FBI,” by Jim Salter, published at HuffingtonPost.com.