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84-Year-Old Man Convicted for 1991 Bank Robbery

expresidents.jpgIt seems even mob guys can't resist the electric chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. In 1991, a group from Chicago wearing masks of ex-presidents, Point Break style, robbed a bank (make that the bank) in Saugatuck, Michigan after a busy Labor Day weekend netting themselves over $350,000. All of those involved with the robbery were eventually caught and arrested except one -- Carmine Jannece, the getaway driver. That changed last month when the feds finally caught up with Jannece, now 84, and he was convicted this week after pleading guilty.

The heist, which was described by FBI agent Eugene Debbaudt as "the most sophisticated, professional and most fascinating bank robbery [he had] ever worked on," began with the crew placing a fake 911 call for an accident on the other side of town, tying up Saugatuck's lone squad car. They then entered the bank through a door they had opened the previous evening and cleaned the place out. Jannece, an underling of Joey "The Clown" Lombardo, managed to stay hidden all these years living on the Northwest Side with just a slight change to his last name -- his son claims Jannece's real identity was exposed when he tried to renew his driver's license. He faces up to 9 years in prison. [Grand Rapids Press, ABC7, Trib]

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