A Florida man who served roughly a decade in prison for disguising himself as an elderly person during bank robberies has been arrested again, accused of allegedly carrying out two more holdups in a strikingly similar costume.
David Sartin Jr., 40, of St. Petersburg, was taken into federal custody after investigators linked him to two Florida bank robberies earlier this year involving a prosthetic “old man” mask, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said Friday.
According to a criminal complaint, Sartin allegedly robbed a bank in Largo on Aug. 24 before targeting another branch in St. Petersburg, his hometown, on Sept. 15.
In each incident, authorities say, the suspect walked up to a teller wearing an elderly-man disguise and demanded cash, specifically instructing employees not to include dye packs.
Investigators say Sartin first stopped at a nearby gas station, drove around the area and eventually parked. He then changed his mode of transportation, taking a bicycle to the bank.
After allegedly receiving $2,900, he reportedly left the teller with the unsettling words, “until we meet again,” the complaint states.
Authorities allege that Sartin pedaled away from the bank, later returned to his vehicle and sped from the area.
Surveillance video tied to the second robbery allegedly showed a vehicle leaving Sartin’s home and returning later. Investigators also captured footage of a white man resembling the suspected robber unloading a bicycle, prosecutors said.
The second bank robbery netted approximately $2,554, according to the criminal complaint.
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The day after the robbery, investigators allegedly watched Sartin repaint the vehicle’s white roof black.
A search of his home turned up a bicycle, blue suit and black bag that authorities said appeared similar to items seen during the first holdup, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Investigators also searched a storage unit, where they discovered a backpack and laptop bag filled with disguise equipment reportedly visible in robbery surveillance footage. The items included a gray-haired elderly-man mask, dark-rimmed glasses and work gloves marked with black paint.
The bags also contained a fake handgun and clothing that authorities said matched the outfit worn during one of the alleged bank robberies.
At another property where Sartin sometimes stayed, investigators found a second prosthetic mask and a journal identified as being “written by: David Sartin.” The 2021 journal carried the title, “God’s Best friend is a Bank Robber! Uncle Henry Cops and Robbers the world through the eyes of a Bank Robber.”
One page featured a drawing of a character holding up a mask, alongside the handwritten words: “My face holding up uncle Henry, looking at it, Face to Face.”
Sartin was on supervised release when the Florida robberies allegedly occurred. His release stemmed from a 2018 federal conviction involving five bank robberies in Texas carried out in 2016.
During those 2016 crimes, Sartin allegedly wore a similar elderly-man mask and used the same getaway vehicle authorities now say was involved in the Florida cases.
He was sentenced to serve slightly more than 10 years at a federal prison for that conviction.
Sartin also has a 2008 federal conviction for attempted bank robbery. In that case, prosecutors said he and an accomplice tried to rob a bank while wearing Halloween masks and other disguises.
