Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
4 bank heists in one day
And cops say getaway driver admits robbing more in last 8 months
The robber walked into a Chase bank and flashed his gun, terrifying the teller to the point she fainted.
It marked the start of a chaotic day at South Florida banks: The robber, driven for miles by his getaway driver, struck four banks Tuesday in just a matter of hours, stealing more than $13,000.
But when the cops finally caught him, his getaway driver admitted robbing more banks in the months before — for a total of eight stickups, newly released court documents show.
The first holdup Tuesday happened at the Miami Chase at 12945 SW 112th St. about 2:15 p.m. That’s when German Flaca, 26, wore a blue denim button down, a pair of sunglasses, a shaggy blond wig and a black baseball cap. He handed the teller a note that read, “I have a gun and nothing to lose,” flashed a black automatic pistol and put his finger to his lips, court documents state.
When the teller fainted, Flaca ran out of the bank without any cash. But Flaca’s initial failure to get money did not keep him and Christopher Lima, 29, the alleged
driver, from robbing three other banks in just under three hours, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The pair also hit banks in Pembroke Pines, Sunrise and Coral Springs.
When they robbed the Pembroke Pines Citibank about 3:30 p.m., a witness managed to provide police with a description of the getaway vehicle. Cops were now on the lookout for a gray or silver Toyota Tundra with a Florida plate.
The pair are accused of robbing a Sunrise bank about 4:30 p.m.
And they were detained about 5:40 p.m. near a Chase bank in Coral Springs that they had recently robbed. Officers captured the pair after a traffic stop, after they recognized the car from the description provided by the witness at the bank in Pembroke Pines.
After his arrest, Lima admitted robbing four other South Florida banks on his own in just the past two months.
Details about the lives of the pair emerged during their initial appearance on Wednesday in front of Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan, though their motive for the crime, beyond immediate financial gain, remains unclear.
Lima, a tall and well-built man who lives in West Kendall, told the judge that the majority of his income came from a small powerwashing and painting business that he ran. As he spoke to the judge, his pregnant wife held back tears in the courtroom.
Public records show Lima had been arrested on charges of theft and burglary of an unoccupied structure in 2013 in Miami-Dade County, a crime for which he was placed on probation.
The U.S. magistrate judge ultimately found Lima indigent and appointed him a federal public defender.
Flaca, the shorter and skinnier of the pair, appeared heavily tattooed and spoke with a thick Argentinian accent, communicating with the judge through a translator.
Flaca told the judge that his only worldly possession worth more than $5,000 was a Ford Fiat currently parked somewhere in Buenos Aires. The judge also found him indigent and appointed him an attorney.
As Flaca spoke, his own wife looked on solemnly. During his conversation with the judge, Flaca indicated that he was in the middle of some kind of immigration proceeding.
Both men are charged with armed bank robbery, attempted armed bank robbery, bank robbery, and conspiracy to commit bank robbery. The maximum penalty for the charge of bank robbery is 25 years imprisonment.
The pair are scheduled to appear again before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Friday for their detention hearings.