A St. Petersburg man is facing federal charges in two Tampa Bay area bank robberies, and the details of the alleged method are getting attention across the region. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says David Sartin, Jr., 40, robbed a bank in Largo on August 24 and another in St. Petersburg on September 15. In both cases, investigators say he wore a prosthetic mask designed to look like an elderly man, told tellers not to include dye packs, and approached each bank by bicycle after parking his car nearby.
A search of his home and a storage unit turned up a bicycle, a blue suit, a black bag, a fake handgun, work gloves with black paint on them, and a mask with grey facial hair. Another residence held a different prosthetic mask and a journal signed by Sartin, titled “God’s Best friend is a Bank Robber!” He faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.
What makes this case stand out beyond the disguise is the history. Sartin has prior bank robbery convictions from 2008 and 2018, and he was on supervised release at the time of the alleged robberies. For Gulf Coast communities from Largo to St. Pete, it’s a reminder that bank branches here deal with real security threats, and tellers are often the first line of defense.
What do you think should happen when someone commits the same crime a third time? Let us know in the comments or call the show.
