PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Federal prosecutors have charged a woman with multiple counts of bank robbery after four incidents within two months in 2024.
A grand jury indicted Vanessa Thompson Tuesday.
According to court documents, all of the robberies played out in a similar way. Prosecutors say Thompson walked up to the teller and handed over a note.
What was written on the notes varied slightly, but in one, she allegedly demanded all the money, no GPS trackers, and made it clear this was a robbery.
Limited payoff, major consequences
At the first location, she was given over $4,600, but at the next two locations, she only made $112 and $476. At the fourth location, she walked away with nothing.
The FBI is automatically involved in bank robberies.
“Banks are federally insured, so there’s a federal violation for bank robbery,” said retired FBI Special Agent John Iannarelli.
“Generally, a bank robbery is not particularly profitable. Not only do they get limited amount of money when they rob them, but unlike robbing anything else, you have the FBI involved,” Iannarelli said. “The FBI is right behind you. So it usually does not end well for the bank robber.”
The FBI eventually tracked down Thompson, who was already in the Maricopa County Jail on a shoplifting charge.
“A lot of times bank robbers will be involved in other crimes, maybe even arrested and incarcerated for that crime,” Iannarelli said. “The FBI can take what they know, look at who they’re looking for, even find them somewhere in a jail cell far away for another crime and hold them accountable for the bank robbery.”
Thompson was also picked out by one of the victims in a photo lineup. Her boyfriend, who is already serving time for other bank robberies, identified her as well.
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