Notorious bank robber sentenced to 15 years
‘The Vaulter’ pleaded guilty to seven counts of robbery with a firearm on June 12
Aman dubbed Canada’s most notorious bank robber has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a series of armed robberies between 2010 and 2015 in Greater Toronto, Ottawa and Calgary.
Jeffrey James Shuman, 55, nicknamed “the Vaulter” for his habit of jumping over bank counters, was also ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution when he appeared in court Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty to seven counts of robbery with a firearm on June 12.
“The defendant appears to have robbed these banks to live a relatively luxurious lifestyle,” Justice Cindy Johnston told the court. “(That includes) the defendant’s purchase of a Rolex watch for which he paid $11,000 at Yorkdale Mall.”
She also said 100,000 euros, which Shuman admitted were proceeds from the robberies, was hidden in a garbage bag under his sink in his apartment in France.
Johnston described how the use of a firearm, even though it was a pellet gun, during the robberies was “calculated to instill fear.”
Shuman was identified after his fingerprint was located on a black binder he mistakenly left at a bank.
Shuman was arrested in Geneva in September 2015 on an international warrant issued by York Region police.
Shuman faked a heart attack to force a plane to land in the United Kingdom, before yelling that he was an EU citizen and should not be allowed on the second plane that detectives booked for him. The Ministry of the Attorney General had to charter a private jet to transport him to Canada, costing almost $100,000.
“His actions caused a commercial flight to make an unscheduled landing, inconveniencing other passen- gers,” Johnston said. “This type of behaviour causes me to doubt any true feeling of remorse by the defendant.”
Shuman, who is an American and French dual citizen, will be eligible for parole after eight years.
His lawyer, Stephen Proudlove, said the sentence was higher than he’d expected and was considering an appeal.
Shuman was also dubbed the Reebok Bandit in the U.S. in the ’90s after robbing 14 banks in Florida and Tennessee. With files from Vaughan Citizen