A federal jury in Chicago has found Francisco Martinez guilty of robbing a bank in Lake County, Illinois. The incident occurred on December 20, 2021, when Martinez entered a First Midwest Bank branch in Round Lake and handed the teller a note demanding $40,000 within 30 seconds. He showed what appeared to be a firearm handle tucked into his waistband and briefly threatened a customer.
Martinez, aged 32 from Des Plaines, Illinois, was arrested in June 2022 and has been in custody since then. At the time of the robbery, he was on court-supervised release for a previous bank robbery conviction.
The jury at the U.S. District Court in Chicago convicted him of one count of bank robbery. This charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for August 29, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger.
The conviction announcement came from Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. Assistance was provided by the Round Lake Beach Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jimmy Arce, Adam L. Rosenbloom, and Caitlin S. Walgamuth.
