The man dubbed the “Granddad Bandit” has pleaded guilty to two Virginia bank robberies and has acknowledged robbing 23 other banks in a total of 14 states.
Michael Francis Mara, 53, of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty to the Virginia offenses Thursday in federal court in Richmond. He will not face charges in the other states.
The FBI nicknamed Mara — who is balding, has gray hair and wears glasses — the “Granddad Bandit” to help the public identify him during a nationwide campaign to apprehend him.
Prosecutors said the robberies occurred from December 2008 to July 2010 and Mara raked in $83,868 in cash. He was apprehended in Louisiana in August after a six-hour standoff with police that ended peacefully.
Mara’s plea agreement calls for him to serve 25 years in prison.
