More Serial Bank Robbers, Previously Arrested by FBI Task Force, Indicted for Robberies

PHOENIX—Several Phoenix area bank robbers, previously arrested and charged, were indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury. Three indictments were handed down by the grand jury in three cases: Blair John Daehling and Brandy Heidrick-Daehling (aka “The Bad Hair Day Bandit”); two Valley men who used hoax bombs in their robberies- Karl Cascketta and Stephen Raboy; and Robert Nejbauer, Jr., who was indicted for robbing or attempting to rob banks in the Phoenix area and calling in a bomb threat to a local high school.

Blair John Daehling, 38, and his wife, Brandy Heidrick-Daehling, 32, were arrested on Monday, May 11, 2009 after robbing a bank on east Camelback Road in Scottsdale, Ariz. The indictment charges the pair for their roles in other bank robberies committed throughout April and May 2009 in Scottsdale, Phoenix and Chandler, Ariz. Daehling is charged with seven counts of Bank Robbery and Heidrick-Daehling is charged with three counts of Bank Robbery.

Two other Phoenix area bank robbers were also indicted for their roles in several Valley bank robberies between February and April 2009. Karl Cascketta, 51, was indicted on two counts of Armed Bank Robbery (one using a firearm, and one using a firearm and a purported bomb), two counts of brandishing a firearm during the robberies, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Stephen Ross Raboy, 58, was indicted on one count of Bank Robbery, one count of Armed Bank Robbery with the use of a purported bomb, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Both men are in custody awaiting trial.

Finally, Robert Nejbauer, Jr., 48, of Tempe, Ariz., was indicted by the grand jury of eight counts of Bank Robbery, two counts of Attempted Bank robbery, and one count of using a means of interstate commerce – a telephone – to threaten to damage a building by means of an explosive device. Nejbauer (pronounced NAY- bow-er) was arrested in May when surveillance units observed him as he approached a bank with a demand note in his possession. In addition to robbing or attempting to rob 10 Phoenix-area banks, he also allegedly called a hoax bomb threat against McClintock High School in Tempe to create a diversion for one of the robberies.

A conviction for Bank Robbery or Attempted Bank Robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. A conviction for Armed Bank Robbery carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. A conviction for Using a Firearm During a Crime of Violence carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. A conviction for Felon in Possession of Firearm or Using a Means of Interstate Commerce to Threaten to Damage a Building by means of an Explosive Device carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. In determining an actual sentence, the assigned U.S. District

Judges will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

An indictment is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime/Bank Robbery Task Force. The FBI has partnered with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Mesa Police Department, the Phoenix Police Department, the Scottsdale Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to form the Violent Crime/Bank Robbery Task Force in order to investigate, arrest and seek prosecution of those responsible for robbing banks in the Valley. The prosecutions are being handled by Alison S. Bachus and Roger Dokken, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBERS: CR-09-677-PHX (Daehling/Heidrick-Daehling)

CR-09-678-PHX (Cascketta/Raboy)

CR-09-670-PHX (Nejbauer)

RELEASE NUMBER: 2009-189(Bank robbery indictments)

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