Dropped Lottery Ticket Leads FBI Agent to Alleged Bank Robber: Report

An Illinois man has been arrested for allegedly robbing a bank after authorities tracked him down using the lottery ticket they say he dropped while pulling off the heist.

On Sept. 28, a man wearing dark clothes, a hooded sweatshirt and what appeared to be a dark-colored wig, handed a note and a plastic bag to a teller at a Chicago Chase Bank, according to reports.

"Put all the money in the bag and we won’t have any problems," the note reportedly read.

The man kept his left hand in his pocket, which the teller took to mean he might have a gun, the Daily Herald reported. The teller emptied $8,254 from her drawer into the bag and the man left, officials said.

After the robbery was reported, an FBI agent reviewing surveillance footage of the incident spotted a piece of paper falling from the man’s pocket, a criminal complaint obtained by the Herald said.

The agent later recovered that piece of paper, which turned out to be a scratch-off lottery ticket investigators were able determine was sold at a Mobil gas station in Arlington Heights the night before the robbery.

Surveillance footage from that gas station showed a person matching the alleged robber’s description as he bought the tickets.

Video from a Deer Park gas station on Oct. 2 allegedly showed the same man redeeming four winning tickets, then driving away in a Chrysler Pacifica with temporary plates, the Herald reported.

Later that night, a Palatine police officer reportedly spotted the vehicle and pulled it over. A document found in the minivan reportedly showed the vehicle had been purchased one day after the heist for $3,500. 

Dexter Riley, 38, was charged with bank robbery by intimidation. 

The FBI said he admitted to the hold-up, saying he used the money to buy the Pacifica, pay rent, purchase a game system and buy drugs, according to the Herald. 

Riley remained in custody at Kankakee County Jail Tuesday, online records show. 

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