Bank Robbery In Action

Bank heists have fallen about as fast as any other crime, dropping almost 60 percent in the past quarter century, according to FBI statistics. And robbers are getting away with less and less loot. FBI numbers show the average take has dwindled by nearly half over the past 10 years to just $6,500.

How common is a bank robbery? Despite what the movies say about bank heists, bank robberies are not all that common. In fact, merely 2 out of every 100 robberies concerns a bank. Meaning, bank heists make up around 2% of all robberies.

The bank will give the FBI the amount that was stolen (sometimes it's accurate, sometimes it's not). This amount will be factored into your sentencing. If you robbed a lot of money, your sentence will be higher. When you get out, you will have to pay the money back.

A robbery offense carries with it a prison sentence of a minimum of one year and a maximum of 20 years. One particular aggravating circumstance is that of the victim being over the age of 65, in which case the sentences range from five to 20 years of imprisonment.

In 2017 alone, almost 4,000 banks were robbed or burglarized in the United States. That's about 11 robberies per day. (2017 was the most recent year with available data.)

The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the "heist of the century", was by far the largest diamond heist and one of the largest robberies in history. Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver and other types of jewelry valued at more than $100 million.

So, when a bank is robbed, the money that is stolen is the bank's money, not yours. ... In this case, the credit in your bank account is now worthless, and you do lose all your money. Luckily for you, the money in the bank is insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 worth, so you still probably won't lose it.

Because bank robbery usually entails mass quantities of money or assets being stolen, the charges issued constitute much harsher penalties than a standard robbery to a private home. Robbing a bank is a federal crime because they are government property and are involved in interstate commerce and trade.

Most bank robbers probably use the money for immediate bills, such as paying off their bail bondsman from a previous arrest, or buying drugs, or going to WallyWorld and picking up a big-screen TV.

Depending on the situation, it could be anywhere from $2000 (some mutilated bills thrown in possibly) to $50,000+. But make no mistake. Today technology and security protocols have advanced to a point that it's not “if” a robbery will get caught, but “when.”

In order to be a felony theft, the value of the property must exceed a minimum amount established by state law, typically between $500 and $1,000. For example, if a state has a $600 felony theft limit, a person who steals a bicycle worth $400 has committed a misdemeanor.