The family that robs together, stays together ... in jail, that is.
A father and son were sentenced to prison this week for arranging to rob a Wheaton bank from the inside.
Louis H. Early, a former DuPage County deputy sheriff, pleaded guilty to robbing a TCF bank, located inside a grocery store, where his son Louis S. Early worked as an assistant manager, reports the Daily Herald.
But prosecutors allege that younger Early wasn't surprised to see his father there. The 27-year-old from Lisle is accused of plotting the robbery with his dad.
Interesting hobby choice. Couldn't they just go fishing?
According to the Naperville Sun:
"The elder Early then entered the bank on the pretext of opening a checking account. Louis S. Early led him into an office, at which point his father 'acted as if he were displaying a weapon to his son, in an attempt to legitimize the robbery' for the bank's security cameras, according to a court plea declaration.
... The younger Early later called his father while he was driving to New York 'and asked, "Did you order a pizza?" — a predetermined code that indicated that (the son) was doing well,' the declaration stated."
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The 54-year-old Early was found out when FBI agents arrested him in DeWitt, New York, on an unrelated case and spotted a hefty supply of cash labeled "Federal Reserve Bank."
Oops.
Taking into account another alleged robbery—in which the son reportedly drove the getaway car—and the former deputy's extensive criminal background, a judge sentenced Louis H. Early on Wednesday to 13 years and 4 months in prison.
His son was sentenced on Thursday to two years in prison, three years of supervised release, and $52,500 restitution to the TCF bank.
They'll have plenty of time for good old-fashioned father-son bonding.
Matt Bartosik is a Chicago native and a social media sovereign.
