The man known as the “Grandad Bandit” has pleaded not guilty to bank robbery charges he faces in Virginia and is slated to go to trial in November.
Michael Francis Mara, 53, of Baton Rouge, La., is suspected of committing 25 bank heists in 13 states from December 2008 to July 2010.
The balding man with gray hair and glasses was nicknamed the “Granddad Bandit” by the FBI, which launched a nationwide campaign to apprehend him.
Mara pleaded not guilty to two of the robberies at an arraignment hearing in federal court in Richmond.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis Dohnal ordered that Mara be held without bond pending trial.
Another judge set a Nov. 18 trial date.
Mara’s alleged bank heist spree started with the Dec. 19, 2008, robbery of a SunTrust Bank in Richmond, according to charging documents.
In that incident, Mara allegedly approached the teller with his hand in his pocket as if he were holding a gun. He then gave the teller a note demanding money.
The teller handed over $1,850, and Mara fled on foot, court documents say.
In another Virginia robbery, Mara allegedly obtained $1,980 from a Union First Market Bank in Glen Allen on June 22, 2010.
Bank robberies attributed to the “Granddad Bandit” continued into July. Robberies were reported across the eastern and central United States from Texas to New York.
No one was injured in any of the incidents. The robber never displayed a weapon.
Mara was apprehended in Louisiana in August after a six-hour standoff with police that ended peacefully.
He worked for a vehicle-transportation company, which authorities said gave him the opportunity to travel across the country.
