In order to convict someone of bank robbery, prosecutors have to prove that a person acted with ‘intimidation’
A “polite” Chicago man was acquitted of robbing a bank last week after his defense team argued his actions didn’t amount to robbery because he’d used his manners while asking the teller to hand over the money.
In December 2021, Mohamed Worku allegedly approached a bank clerk in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood and handed them a note that read, “Give me the money Please Thank You,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
The teller complied, and Worku walked out with about $600. He was subsequently arrested and charged.
A judge acquitted him last week, because to convict someone of bank robbery , prosecutors have to prove that a person acted with “intimidation.”
But just three days after the 31-year-old’s acquittal, he allegedly went to a different bank — this time in Lincoln Park — and handed the teller an equally ambiguous note.
“Please Give me the money I’ll pay it back soon,” it reportedly read. “Banker’s Gife (sic) to me in advance.”
Worku allegedly walked away with about $2,000 in cash, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Tribune.
He was arrested just half a mile away from the bank location, less than an hour after the incident.
This time, federal prosecutors have filed a complaint against Worku for not only bank robbery , but also bank theft, which only requires that someone take money from a bank — even without intimidating anyone in the process.