What happens immediately after a bank is robbed?

MonaLeigh · Jan 15, 2009

I'm working a short screenplay and it's a story about a guy who needs money to pay off his mortgage before the bank takes his house. The guy's not the smartest, and he decides to rob a bank (wearing a disguise) then he goes outside, takes off his disguise, goes back into the bank to use the money to pay what he owes on his house. Is this possible?
Does the bank close down or anything immediately after it's robbed? (he's robbing by using a note to the teller, no guns are involved.)
What's a reasonable amount of money he could get from a teller window?
Are all the employees told right away of the robbery?
Would he be able to walk back in almost immediately and go to one of the customer service desks and have them deposit the money and pay his debt?

PS. This is really for a story....I'm not planning to do this

nevada · Jan 15, 2009

the bank is shut down automatically. some banks, the tellers dont have any cash at the window and have to go to a central location to get any money that is withdrawn which would obviously make it a very bad bank to rob unless you have weapons to control everyone. the police will be at the bank probably within two minutes if not sooner. it would be impossible for someone to rob a bank and then turn around, walk back in and make a deposit.

Don · Jan 15, 2009

How about if he robs that other bank, on the next block, then walks to the bank he owes money?

MonaLeigh · Jan 15, 2009

Don said:
How about if he robs that other bank, on the next block, then walks to the bank he owes money?

I was just going to say that. I could have him rob a bank nearby and go to his bank to make the payment. Thanks!

Don · Jan 15, 2009

Probably OT, but I wonder how long it takes for those dye packets to go off? I could see a humorous scene where villain robs bank A, takes the money down to bank B, and the dye packet (unnoticed? how big are they?) explodes while the teller's counting the bills.

MonaLeigh · Jan 15, 2009

Don said:
Probably OT, but I wonder how long it takes for those dye packets to go off? I could see a humorous scene where villain robs bank A, takes the money down to bank B, and the dye packet (unnoticed? how big are they?) explodes while the teller's counting the bills.

I thought of that, too, but I want my character to get away with it. This is a last resort for him. He's about to lose his house and his wife (who's waiting in the car w/the grandkids) doesn't know.

MonaLeigh · Jan 15, 2009

Do you think if he robbed a bank across the street or very near, the bank he went into to pay his mortgage would already know about the robbery?

MaryMumsy · Jan 15, 2009

Assuming he has stolen more than $10,000 from the bank he robbed, he won't be able to just deposit the cash in his account. The bank is required to report cash deposits of $10,000 or more to the IRS. This also applies if he makes a series of transactions in a short (every couple of days) period of time totaling $10,000 or more. This rule was put in some years ago to circumvent drug dealers and others participating in illegal activities which are cash based.

MM

MonaLeigh · Jan 15, 2009

MaryMumsy said:
Assuming he has stolen more than $10,000 from the bank he robbed, he won't be able to just deposit the cash in his account. The bank is required to report cash deposits of $10,000 or more to the IRS. This also applies if he makes a series of transactions in a short (every couple of days) period of time totaling $10,000 or more. This rule was put in some years ago to circumvent drug dealers and others participating in illegal activities which are cash based.

MM

Thanks! I was just having him get a little over $6,000. Just enough to cover his mortgage and take his wife on a little vacation.

RJK · Jan 15, 2009

The robbed bank would be physically locked with anyone present at the time, locked in. The police would collect their identifications and, if they had anything helpful to add to the investigation would collect that information. The bank would remain secured until the FBI arrived and they would decide when the bank could return to normal business. They try to hurry the process.
Getting good descriptions of the robbers from tellers is like opening clams. It's hard to do and takes a while.

The robber walking into a second bank is a good idea, I would have him change clothes, at least remove or take off a jacket and hat. The tellers and other employees of the second bank would have no reason to know there was a robbery of the other bank. The police would most likely NOT be looking in other banks for the robber.
Handing over $6,000 is going to draw attention. The robber should make the mortgage payment only. Then After he has carefully checked for a dyepack, spread the money around in smaller payments.

MonaLeigh · Jan 15, 2009

RJK said:
Handing over $6,000 is going to draw attention. The robber should make the mortgage payment only. Then After he has carefully checked for a dyepack, spread the money around in smaller payments.

What amount wouldn't really draw attention? I wanted it where he was behind on his mortgage and he might lose his house. I'm not sure (thank God) how far behind you have to be before the bank starts foreclosure.

jclarkdawe · Jan 15, 2009

Average haul from a bank robbery is about $3,000, so your money amount isn't bad. And as stated, the robbed bank will be locked up tighter than a drum.

The problem is not only do you have the dye marker to worry about, you have the fact that some of the money is going to be recorded. (Banks will record some of their larger bills just for this situation.) Question is whether many of your readers would know this.

Second problem is the fact that the other banks are going to be aware of the robbery fairly quickly and know exactly how much was taken. If he shows up with the same amount, someone is going to wonder. Even if he goes in and pays less than he stole, they're going to wonder. And it doesn't cost the police anything to ask questions.

I'd think of him doubling or tripling his money at a bookie or something like that. And stores are safer than banks for ripping off because they don't record their money.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

MonaLeigh · Jan 15, 2009

Maybe I could have him rob a store instead...This is for a short that would hopefully be made in my town. I was trying to keep the scene locations as limited as possible.

Thanks for the help!

MelodyO · Jan 15, 2009

lisamarie said:
What amount wouldn't really draw attention? I wanted it where he was behind on his mortgage and he might lose his house. I'm not sure (thank God) how far behind you have to be before the bank starts foreclosure.

I used to be a teller, and six thousand in cash would definitely get my attention if the customer didn't usually bring in large cash amounts. Although for your story, I wouldn't fret about it. Banks in movies always seem to have, like, a million bucks in cash in their vaults, and a hundred bags of coins just waiting to be picked off, and nobody cares about it except the tellers watching the movie. Hee.

TsukiRyoko · Jan 15, 2009

I would say it'd be much easier to rob a store (either a store with very rich customers, or a couple of stores. 6,000's a lot of money) and then take the money to the bank. Such a large sum of money would be kind of hard to pay in one go without raising some eyebrows, but over a period of time it'd be nothing at all, especially if it coincides with a paycheck period. Get paid every two weeks? Deposit part that money when you get paid (or when you'd usually make a regular deposit to the bank).

RJK · Jan 16, 2009

If your MC is $3,000 behind in his mortgage, they might be at the foreclosure stage. You could go with a payment of that much and several chapters later, the police follow up with the teller who remembers the guy with $3K in cash. That way he eventually gets caught, but not until much later. Cops can't be everywhere at once. Checking with other banks would be way down the list of places to ask questions, if they ever get there. This would depend on the size of the city and the cops' workload.

What happens immediately after a bank is robbed?

MonaLeigh

Wasting time

nevada

Don

All Living is Local

MonaLeigh

Wasting time

Don

All Living is Local

MonaLeigh

Wasting time

MonaLeigh

Wasting time

MaryMumsy

the original blond bombshell

MonaLeigh

Wasting time

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

MonaLeigh

Wasting time

jclarkdawe

Feeling lucky, Query?

MonaLeigh

Wasting time

MelodyO

Waiting for love on the web

TsukiRyoko

Forced into cell phone life

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says: