Florida Man Charged After Donning ‘Old Man’ Mask in Bank Heists

When the first teller stared in disbelief, a man with a gray‑streaked fake moustache slipped a note across the counter and demanded cash. The image – an elderly figure hidden behind a cheap "old man" mask – has since replayed on surveillance footage from two separate banks in Florida.

Authorities say the suspect is David Sartin Jr., a 40‑year‑old who already has a criminal record that reads like a résumé of failed get‑rich‑quick schemes. According to a criminal complaint filed on Oct. 14, Sartin Jr. walked into the first bank in early August, shouted for money, and then vanished, mask still on his face.

Just weeks later, a second robbery unfolded under strikingly similar circumstances. Again, witnesses described a feeble‑looking man with a grey mustache and whiskers – the very same disguise spotted in the earlier heist. The pattern was too obvious to ignore.

Law‑enforcement officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida tracked Sartin Jr. down after the two robberies. A search of a storage unit linked to him uncovered a counterfeit firearm and, most damningly, an "old man" mask that matched the one seen on video. The complaint notes the mask had “a grey moustache and grey whiskers,” mirroring the disguise used during both incidents.

Investigators also combed through a residence where Sartin Jr. occasionally stayed. There they found a tattered journal dated Jan. 1, 2021, oddly titled “God's Best friend is a Bank Robber! Uncle Henry Cops and Robbers the world through the eyes of a Bank Robber.” One page featured a crude drawing of a figure holding up a mask with the handwritten phrase, “My face holding up uncle Henry, looking at it, Face to Face.” The journal was signed “David Sartin,” further tying him to the crimes.

What makes this case especially curious is that, at the time of the robberies, Sartin Jr. was on supervised release from a 2018 federal conviction that stemmed from five bank robberies in Texas back in 2016. He reportedly used a similar disguise then, too. He also carries a 2008 conviction for attempted bank robbery.

Following the discovery of the mask, the fake gun, and the journal, prosecutors filed charges that could add several more years to his already‑lengthy record. ABC News has reached out to the attorney listed on his docket for comment, but no statement has been released yet.