A man has been charged with robbing two northwest suburban TCF Bank branches this month — including one bank he robbed for the first time seven years ago.
Tony Hildebrand, 41, was charged with two counts of bank robbery in a federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court’s Northern District of Illinois.
At 6:57 p.m. on Nov. 6, Hildebrand walked into the Jewel-Osco at 2501 W. Schaumburg Rd. in Schaumburg, approached the TCF Bank teller and presented a demand note that said “No alarm I’m listing [sic.] To scanner, 100’s + 50’s Now Quietly,” according to the complaint. The teller gave him seven $100 bills, and he took the cash and left the bank.
The next day, at 6:34 p.m. on Nov. 7, Hildebrand entered the Jewel-Osco at 1250 W. Main St. in West Dundee wearing the same gloves and glasses as the Schaumburg bank robber, according to the complaint.
He approached the teller and said, “I need all your 50s and 100s,” according to the complaint. The teller, believing he was a customer, asked for his ID, and Hildebrand replied, “No,” and “This is a bank robbery,” according to the complaint. The teller gave him all their cash, then asked if he needed a bag.
Hildebrand said no and “Just give me all the money,” according to the complaint. He added, “Don’t press the alarm, I am listening,” and pointed to an earbud in his ear. He got away with $2,281.00.
One of Hildebrand’s family members saw the surveillance photos from the bank robbery posted online by a local newspaper and recognized him, according to the complaint. The family member called Hildebrand and confronted him about the bank robbery, and he did not deny it and said that he was sorry.
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Five other people who knew Hildebrand in various capacities also recognized him as the robber and tipped off law enforcement, according to the complaint. One of the witnesses went to high school with him and had recently seen photos of him on Facebook.
Hildebrand, whose last known address is in Algonquin, robbed the same Schaumburg TCF Bank location and another TCF Bank inside a Jewel-Osco in Hoffman Estates in 2010, according to the complaint. He pleaded guilty to both robberies.
He was ordered detained by the judge at his initial appearance Thursday morning in federal court, according to FBI spokesman Garrett Croon.
“Great investigate assist to the Elgin, West Dundee, Schaumburg, and Lisle, Illinois Police Departments,” Croon said.
