Elderly man faces judge after robbing banks to pay mortgage

Tampa, Florida - Looking more like a grandpa than a wanted bank robber, 73-year-old James Bruce toddled front and center at Orient Road Jail.  

Bruce was arrested on Thursday after detectives said he was robbing banks to pay his mortgage.

According to a criminal report, Bruce walked into three different banks in south Tampa. Each time, investigators allege, he would request $600 in $100-dollar bills then pass a handwritten note to the teller, "No alarms and wait 4 minutes."  

After the arrest, police confirmed that Bruce admitted to the robberies post-miranda.  

Judge Walter Heinrich, citing the fact that Bruce carried no weapon into the banks and did not have a prior record, set bond at $22,000.

Heinrich ordered Bruce to stay out of the Suntrust and two Bank of America locations, the banks that he is accused of robbing.

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Elderly man robbed banks to pay mortgage