Hickory Hills bank robbery suspect charged in two more robberies
SUN-TIMES MEDIA November 8, 2012 10:00AM
Surveillance photo of suspect who robbed TCF Bank branch in Hickory Hills on July 26. / photo from FBI
Updated: December 10, 2012 6:21AM
A Chicago man arrested in Ohio in August in connection with a Hickory Hills bank robbery was charged with two more area bank robberies Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
Jeffrey A. Kaplan, 30, was charged in August with one count of bank robbery for the July 26 TCF Bank branch heist at 9357 S. Roberts Road in Hickory Hills, authorities said.
At the time, police suspected Kaplan also had committed at least two Chicago bank robberies: a TCF Bank branch at 2538 W. 47th St. on July 30; and the Metropolitan Bank branch at 4050 S. Archer on Aug. 6.
He was charged with bank robbery in connection with the latter two robberies Wednesday, according to the complaint, which alleges he took more than $5,800 combined from the three heists.
The Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes Task Force arrested Kaplan without incident on Aug. 15 at a bus station in Toledo, Ohio, where he stopped while en route to New York, authorities said.
Kaplan was identified as the robber by members of the public who contacted the FBI after seeing surveillance photos of the Hickory Hills robbery published online and on TV news broadcasts, officials allege.
Six of the 12 callers who contacted the FBI said they were relatives or friends of Kaplan, including a former employer. Two callers with arrest histories said Kaplan called them and admitted he robbed the suburban bank.
