85-year-old man sentenced to 30 years in prison for suburban bank robberies, Valentine's Day heist

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An elderly man has been sentenced after being convicted for multiple Chicago-area bank robberies.

Donald Bennett, now 85, was convicted by a jury in February of 2025 on eight out of nine counts connected to the crimes.

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The robbery happened at a Chase Bank in Hickory Hills the previous year. The F-B-I released this photo of the heist at the time.

Bennett was released from prison in 2020 after 31 years behind bars for robbing banks.

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

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.

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 2024. He will be sentenced next week.

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

The first two bank robberies 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.