Florida man with prior bank robbery convictions charged in two robberies allegedly committed in 'old man' mask

A 40-year-old Florida man who has served time for bank robbery has been federally charged with robbing two banks this year while disguised in a mask resembling an elderly man, according to reports from ABC-owned stations citing federal prosecutors.

David Sartin Jr. is accused of robbing one bank in August and another in September, each time allegedly wearing the mask while demanding cash from a teller, 6abc Action News reported. The details come from an Oct. 16 press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida and an Oct. 14 criminal complaint.

According to those documents, investigators searched a storage unit belonging to Sartin and found an imitation firearm along with several items resembling those worn by the robber. Among them, the complaint states, was a mask featuring a gray mustache and gray whiskers that investigators say matches the one seen in both robberies.

Investigators also searched a home where Sartin sometimes stayed, ABC7 News Bay Area reported, citing prosecutors. There they found a journal dated Jan. 1, 2021, bearing a title that referred to a bank robber and a figure called "Uncle Henry," and listing David Sartin as its author, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said one page contained a drawing of a character holding up a mask, accompanied by a handwritten caption about looking at the mask face to face.

Federal prosecutors said Sartin was on supervised release when the robberies occurred. That release stemmed from a 2018 federal conviction for five bank robberies in Texas in 2016, during which, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, he wore a similar mask. He was also convicted of attempted bank robbery in 2008, the office said, according to ABC11.

The reports did not identify the two banks by name, describing them only as they are labeled in the complaint, and did not say where in Florida the robberies took place or how much money was allegedly taken.

The charges against Sartin are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. ABC News said it had contacted an attorney listed for Sartin on the court docket; the reports did not include a response.

All four outlets reviewed for this article, which are ABC-owned stations, carried the same account, and none reported details that differed from the others.

Compiled by True News from reporting by 6abc Action News, ABC7 News Bay Area, ABC11 and ABC7 Los Angeles. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/313