Police: Bicycling bank robber used loot to cover gambling losses
BOTHELL, Wash. - A prolific bank robber who used a bicycle to make his escapes used the stolen loot from his heists to cover thousands of dollars in gambling losses, according to court documents filed in the case.
The suspect, identified in court records as Cristian C. Babalai, 29, of Bothell, was arrested Friday morning after a five-month investigation. He was then booked into King County jail for investigation of eight counts of bank robbery.
Bail was set at $800,000 - or $100,000 per count - at a Saturday court hearing. He has not yet been formally charged.
According to court records, Babalai is suspected in a string of armed bank robberies from May 2 through Sept. 12, earning the nickname "Tour de Banks robber." In the two most significant heists, he got away with $77,000 from a Monroe bank and $40,000 from a Mill Creek bank, court records say.
In all of the robberies, the suspect displayed a Glock-type pistol, wore a black face mask with eyeholes, spoke in a "European" accent and made his getaway on a bicycle.
When investigators reviewed surveillance video, they discovered that the robber had driven a silver Mercedes Benz C220 or C280 to at least two of the crime scenes.
A review of owner registrations found that Babalai drives a 1995 Mercedes C220 and lived near downtown Woodinville during the robbery spree. He also deposited large amounts of cash in to his bank account after the largest robberies, according to court documents.
As the investigation continued, detectives working the case learned that Babalai had a gambling habit and lost $60,000 during the time of the robbery spree. Cell phone records also showed Balalai's phone was in the vicinity of each of the eight bank robberies as they happened, court records say.
A search warrant was issued and a Glock pistol was recovered from Babalai's home. His employees also told police that he had recently been paying them in cash, which was not normal.
The arrest was the result of an extensive collaborative effort between the King County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and detectives from Bothell, Monroe, Arlington, and Mill Creek Police departments, said King County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West.
The suspect, identified in court records as Cristian C. Babalai, 29, of Bothell, was arrested Friday morning after a five-month investigation. He was then booked into King County jail for investigation of eight counts of bank robbery.
Bail was set at $800,000 - or $100,000 per count - at a Saturday court hearing. He has not yet been formally charged.
According to court records, Babalai is suspected in a string of armed bank robberies from May 2 through Sept. 12, earning the nickname "Tour de Banks robber." In the two most significant heists, he got away with $77,000 from a Monroe bank and $40,000 from a Mill Creek bank, court records say.
In all of the robberies, the suspect displayed a Glock-type pistol, wore a black face mask with eyeholes, spoke in a "European" accent and made his getaway on a bicycle.
When investigators reviewed surveillance video, they discovered that the robber had driven a silver Mercedes Benz C220 or C280 to at least two of the crime scenes.
A review of owner registrations found that Babalai drives a 1995 Mercedes C220 and lived near downtown Woodinville during the robbery spree. He also deposited large amounts of cash in to his bank account after the largest robberies, according to court documents.
As the investigation continued, detectives working the case learned that Babalai had a gambling habit and lost $60,000 during the time of the robbery spree. Cell phone records also showed Balalai's phone was in the vicinity of each of the eight bank robberies as they happened, court records say.
A search warrant was issued and a Glock pistol was recovered from Babalai's home. His employees also told police that he had recently been paying them in cash, which was not normal.
The arrest was the result of an extensive collaborative effort between the King County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and detectives from Bothell, Monroe, Arlington, and Mill Creek Police departments, said King County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West.
People in general are dumb.
I hope they add a "stupid penalty" to this moron's prison term.
Gambling, just another addiction that leads to crime.
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I do not understand the lure of gambling. You work hard and earn money with your blood, sweat and tears, then go just hand it over for nothing but the thrill of imagining you might hit it big for 2 seconds.
Dudes a bank robber, the who, what and why's of why mean nothing, next page please...
Like I told my ex-girlfriend's mother (picture Kathy Bates with a thyroid condition) when she inquired about my penchant for games of chance;
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"I never let the horse races interfere with my poker playing."
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What a tool. This guy might as well have rode his bike right into the police station.
Oh okay. Glad that's all it is. I always wondered why people rob banks and what they use the money for. Guess this guy had good reasoning. I sure wouldn't want an objective like that to completely tarnish his image. LOL!
This is why I don't go to casinos, or engage in sports betting or electronic gambling. First off, I have addition issues that I'm in treatment for and the last thing I need is another bad habit. Secondly, IF I'm gonna gamble, I'm gonna play poker and look my opponent dead in the eye as one of us takes the pot. Thirdly, the last thing anyone needs to get in a jam trying to cover losses.
I'm glad this robber was caught. As desperate as he was getting, there was a real likelihood of him becoming dangerous. And he was dumb. He apparently didn't know that banks routinely track cash transfers of $10,000 or more and report those transfers to the IRS. Some banks begin to take notice at the $8000 level.
First and foremost, I am glad he has been caught. This goes for all crooks, but especially armed ones. With that out of the way, most people never think about that little electronic tattle tale in their pocket or purse. They never think about the embedded information on pictures they take and upload. They just blabber on faceplant, twit, and the rest of the âsocial mediaâ and then are surprised when they are robbed or worse. They dump pictures on flicker and the like giving their location, their kids schools, the time they drop their kids off at daycare, etc. Their homes often are fairly well detailed, which saves burglars time not having to figure which rooms to hit. At the very least, turn off location and GPS unless you need them for something. As soon as you are done, turn them back off. Never, ever take a picture with your phone with them turned on. That wonderful little tattle tale can lead to a whole bunch of problems that most people never think about.Â
 @oldster70 haha, you are way too paranoid.Â
@Asa
Actually you are way too uninformed.Â
So if you're planning on robbing any banks, don't do any of those things. Ha.
I'm glad it's explained how he was caught. I'll try to remember that for my own crime spree. Let's see: Leave cell phone at home, use stolen car, rob banks far away from home, learn how to launder money...
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By the way, is his name Babalai or Balalai? "B" and "L" aren't even near each other on the keyboard! Who proofreads this stuff? Fire him/her and hire me! I'll do it from home so I won't take up office resources.
 @Illuminati Baaoldijsldkdk. Oh, sorry. My KOMO cat walked across my keyboard. I get paid to write English, but I usually just correct my articles after numerous people point out how stupid I am because I can't be consistent.
So first off, are we supposed to feel sympathy for him because he had a gambling problem? - who the heck gives a crap what his problems were - he terrorized people with a gun!
Second - anyone willing to deposit significant loads of cash into a regular, assumedly local bank account, has got to be one incredibly sad, stupid case.
 @Throbbinhood Can you please point out where it said or insinuated we should feel sorry for him because of the gambling problem? Â
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Second, he was a business owner, so large cash deposits wouldn't necessarily raise any red flags. Â
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You know what they say about making ASSumptions!
@sfvcyco Let me spell it out for you: the mere mention of "why" it was felt he did it is completely irrelevant, so why even put in the story? Who gives a crap why? Second - obviously he strayed off of his usual "businessman pattern" in terms of his deposit habits to the point where a red flag obviously went up.
You know what they say when someone makes totally mindless, unfriendly retorts...
 @Throbbinhood  @sfvcyco It goes toward motive. They were showing how the crime was solved.