Jury convicts 83-year-old for several suburban bank robberies, Valentine's Day heist

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An elderly man has been convicted, again, for multiple Chicago-area bank robberies.

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Donald Bennett, 83, and Edward Binert, 55, were arrested after a 2024 Valentine's Day bank robbery by the FBI.

Nearly one year after his arrest, a jury found the 83-year-old guilty on eight out of nine counts connected to the crimes.

Bennett was previously convicted in 1989 for multiple Chicago-area bank robberies.

He was also convicted for an assault with a deadly weapon in 1967 in Kentucky.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

Bennett was released from prison in 2020 after serving a 31-year sentence, according to the FBI.

An FBI complaint alleges Bennett and Binert met each other while serving time in federal prison.

Binert pleaded guilty in October of last year, he has yet to be sentenced.

The 83-year-old's case is due back in court in July 2025.

RELATED | 83-year-old connected to several suburban bank robberies, arrested after Valentine's Day heist: FBI

The first two bank robbery happened on June 27 and Aug. 25 in Oak Lawn, followed by a Nov. 1 robbery in Lombard. Then there was a Nov. 29 bank robbery in Willowbrook and then another robbery on Dec. 1 in Tinley Park. The new year saw a Jan. 26 bank robbery in Glen Ellyn.

The final heist that led to the alleged duo's downfall was a Valentines Day heist on Feb. 14 in Hickory Hills, in which the robbers used fake wigs and face coverings. Bennett was arrested Thursday and is awaiting a detention hearing that will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 22.