HAT BANDIT TO PLEAD GUILTY

[J. Sharpe James, J.D.]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/08/hat_bandit_suspect_to_plead_gu.html

The paroled killer whom authorities suspect as the "Hat Bandit," a serial bank robber who hit 18 banks in nine months, is expected to plead guilty Wednesday, two officials with knowledge of the case said today.

James Madison, 50, of Maplewood, was arrested July 23 in connection with the robbery of a Bank of America branch in Union Township. The FBI immediately named him a suspect in 17 other robberies, most of them in Union, Essex and Morris counties.

In each of the robberies, the suspect wore a different hat, giving rise to the nicknames the "Hat Bandit" and the "Mad Hatter."

Madison, who previously denied any role in the robberies, is expected to plead guilty to several counts of bank robbery, one of the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plea agreement has not been made public.

Special Agent Sean Quinn, a spokesman for the FBI, declined to comment today about the prospect of a plea deal, saying only, "Our intention from the beginning of the investigation has been to prove that he is responsible for all 18 bank robberies." Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, declined to comment today.

Madison faces up to 20 years in prison on the federal charges, and he is likely to face a state count of violating his parole.

Madison spent 18 years in prison for the 1986 murder of his girlfriend, Terry Lee Wells, 25, a nurse who grew up in Chatham. Madison used a lamp to bludgeon Wells to death after the two argued in the North Plainfield apartment they shared.

He then placed her body in a suitcase and threw it into the Passaic River in East Hanover.

Paroled in 2005, Madison found work as a machinist in Maplewood and regularly attended church, impressing fellow parishioners with his volunteer work.

On the side, authorities contend, he robbed banks, partially disguising himself with a wide assortment of caps and, on occasion, with glasses. He never produced a weapon and rarely spoke a word, demanding cash with handwritten notes.

The string of robberies frustrated investigators, who released surveillance images of the suspect several times without a hint of recognition from the public. A teller at the Bank of America branch in Union Township finally proved the suspect's undoing.

As Madison fled from the branch July 22, the teller noted the license plate number on his getaway car, a Nissan Altima, authorities have said. Investigators quickly traced the car to Madison's current girlfriend, who they said was unaware of the heists.

Investigators arrested Madison at 6:30 the next morning. In a July 24 jailhouse interview with The Star-Ledger, he denied he was the elusive bandit.

"I don't rob people," he said. "I don't wear hats."

The latter claim came under immediate scrutiny. On a MySpace page listed under Madison's name, one photo shows him smiling broadly. A red baseball cap sits atop his head.

[LastCubanStanding]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/08/hat_bandit_suspect_to_plead_gu.html

The paroled killer whom authorities suspect as the "Hat Bandit," a serial bank robber who hit 18 banks in nine months, is expected to plead guilty Wednesday, two officials with knowledge of the case said today.

James Madison, 50, of Maplewood, was arrested July 23 in connection with the robbery of a Bank of America branch in Union Township. The FBI immediately named him a suspect in 17 other robberies, most of them in Union, Essex and Morris counties.

In each of the robberies, the suspect wore a different hat, giving rise to the nicknames the "Hat Bandit" and the "Mad Hatter."

Madison, who previously denied any role in the robberies, is expected to plead guilty to several counts of bank robbery, one of the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plea agreement has not been made public.

Special Agent Sean Quinn, a spokesman for the FBI, declined to comment today about the prospect of a plea deal, saying only, "Our intention from the beginning of the investigation has been to prove that he is responsible for all 18 bank robberies." Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, declined to comment today.

Madison faces up to 20 years in prison on the federal charges, and he is likely to face a state count of violating his parole.

Madison spent 18 years in prison for the 1986 murder of his girlfriend, Terry Lee Wells, 25, a nurse who grew up in Chatham. Madison used a lamp to bludgeon Wells to death after the two argued in the North Plainfield apartment they shared.

He then placed her body in a suitcase and threw it into the Passaic River in East Hanover.

Paroled in 2005, Madison found work as a machinist in Maplewood and regularly attended church, impressing fellow parishioners with his volunteer work.

On the side, authorities contend, he robbed banks, partially disguising himself with a wide assortment of caps and, on occasion, with glasses. He never produced a weapon and rarely spoke a word, demanding cash with handwritten notes.

The string of robberies frustrated investigators, who released surveillance images of the suspect several times without a hint of recognition from the public. A teller at the Bank of America branch in Union Township finally proved the suspect's undoing.

As Madison fled from the branch July 22, the teller noted the license plate number on his getaway car, a Nissan Altima, authorities have said. Investigators quickly traced the car to Madison's current girlfriend, who they said was unaware of the heists.

Investigators arrested Madison at 6:30 the next morning. In a July 24 jailhouse interview with The Star-Ledger, he denied he was the elusive bandit.

"I don't rob people," he said. "I don't wear hats."

The latter claim came under immediate scrutiny. On a MySpace page listed under Madison's name, one photo shows him smiling broadly. A red baseball cap sits atop his head.

Moral of the story...don't rob banks in your girlfriend's car.

[TE2]

He was the Hat Bandit, He was the Mad Hatter, That's the Moral of this Story.

P.S. Remember the Take A Look Post:D :D :D

[spokenword]

The thief lied, and had the nerve to have his picture on MySpace........cheesing with a red hat on!!!:D Remember he lied and said he didn't wear hats?


Once a thief always a thief!



btw- did the Pastor Love GIVE BACK THE DONATIONS....:rolleyes:

[CaseClosed]

unable to function outside of prison walls. He's been conditioned so much he is dependent on people telling him what to do. He wants back in the slammer where his actions will be controlled.

Why was he walking the streets after killing and cutting up his girlfriend's body even after serving 18 years in prison? Why didn't he receive life?

[LastCubanStanding]

unable to function outside of prison walls. He's been conditioned so much he is dependent on people telling him what to do. He wants back in the slammer where his actions will be controlled.

Why was he walking the streets after killing and cutting up his girlfriend's body even after serving 18 years in prison? Why didn't he receive life?


He changed his mind and retracted his guilty plea.

[spokenword]

unable to function outside of prison walls. He's been conditioned so much he is dependent on people telling him what to do. He wants back in the slammer where his actions will be controlled.

Why was he walking the streets after killing and cutting up his girlfriend's body even after serving 18 years in prison? Why didn't he receive life?



He looks a bit psychotic!:eek:


check out the pic.


www.nj.com

[karimah]

He looks a bit psychotic!:eek:


check out the pic.


www.nj.com


You would have that expressions too if you were caught before you could hide the money. :D

[Miss Tam-Tam]

He looks a bit psychotic!:eek:
check out the pic.
www.nj.com

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/__files/2007/08/medium_hatterM.jpg

Very interesting. It's said that one characteristic of people who have an anti-social personality disorder is that they have very disturbing looking eyes. I believe it's because they have no soul; having a body doesn't necessarily make one human. There are always going to be blips in every species.

[spokenword]

SAID INSPITE OF THE MAD HATTER ROBBING THE BANKS, HE IS STILL GOING TO SUPPORT THE MAD HATTER, BECAUSE HE HELPED AROUND THE CHURCH....... I'M SURE HE DID REVIE REV.....:rolleyes:

[spokenword]

'Hat Bandit' pleads guilty in 19 bank robberies
by Jeff Whelan
Tuesday September 11, 2007, 2:59 PM




James Madison.
The so-called "Hat Bandit" pleaded guilty to six counts of bank robbery today and confessed to making off with more than $80,000 during 19 heists in northern New Jersey since last September.

James Madison, a 50-year-old paroled killer from Maplewood, had reneged at the last minute on a plea deal with prosecutors last month, but this time followed through during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Jose Linares in Newark.

"How do you wish to plead ... guilty or not guilty?" asked Linares.

"Guilty," Madison replied.

Madison faces between 92 and 115 months - about 7 1/2 to 9 1/2 years - in jail under federal sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors reserved the right, under the deal, to argue for a higher range of between 110 and 137 months to account for all of the bank robberies. He had faced up to 20 years in prison on the one count of bank robbery for which he'd been indicted earlier this summer. Linares scheduled sentencing for Dec. 18.

"Madison was prolific and original. He may even have thought his method was a smart or a cute way of robbing banks," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said. "In fact, there was nothing cute or smart about it. He's just another greedy thug who stole other people's money."

Madison today confessed to each of the bank robberies, and one by one, acknowledged wearing the variety of hats that concealed his identity and frustrated investigators for months, from a burnt orange Texas Longhorn baseball cap to a white knit ski cap.

Authorities had initially suspected Madison of 18 heists, but today he confessed to an additional one: He said he wore a red St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap and made off with $8,540 from a Bank of America on Elmora Avenue in Elizabeth on June 30, just weeks before his arrest.

The Hat Bandit netted more than $80,000 from banks in Union, Morris, Essex and Middlesex counties over a 10-month run that began last September. He wore a wide variety of hats -- from a New York Yankees baseball cap to a red hunter's hat -- that were meant to conceal his identity but eventually made him notorious.

When Madison was arrested July 23 and fingered as the prime suspect, he was out on parole after spending 18 years in prison for killing his girlfriend in 1986. Authorities said he bludgeoned her to death during an argument, placed her body in a suitcase and threw it into the Passaic River.

After his July arrest, Madison initially denied being the serial bandit, but told The Star-Ledger in a jailhouse interview last month that he was behind the heists.

[karimah]

Man who foiled the Hat Bandit is toast of town, except at bank

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

BY JUDITH LUCAS
Star-Ledger Staff
One county prosecutor called him a hero. Another cited his "extraordinary" bravery. A sheriff labeled him a "beacon for everyone to look up to."

Steven Gomez -- the quick-thinking bank teller who helped authorities nab one of New Jersey's most prolific and slippery bank robbers, the so-called Hat Bandit -- collected a $10,000 reward yesterday and listened as top law enforcement officials sang his praises.



If only the acclaim hadn't cost him his job.

On a day filled with handshakes and congratulations, the 21-year-old Elizabeth man said Bank of America had told him he would be out of work if he accepted the reward in any kind of public way.

He could take the money secretly, Gomez said he was told, but he was forbidden to discuss his pivotal role in the case with anyone. Even chatting with admiring customers brought him a scolding, he said.

Unhappy with the bank's edict -- and admittedly looking forward to the attention -- Gomez quit two weeks ago, he said, after a year on the job.

"It was really depressing," said Gomez, a junior at Rutgers University in Newark.

Gomez, it seems, violated Bank of America procedures when he followed the Hat Bandit out of a Union Township branch July 22 and jotted down the man's license plate number, providing the crucial break in the case.

Instead of thanking him, Gomez said, his bosses chided him. "They said, 'You should not have followed him,'" he said.

Citing privacy issues, Bank of America spokeswoman Tara Burke said she could not discuss Gomez. In general, Burke said, all employees are trained in the steps to take should a robbery occur. She would not elaborate on those steps.

A banking industry expert said it makes sense for tellers to stay put during a heist, noting the danger to employees and customers.

"All bank tellers are trained to protect themselves and customers first," said Margot Mohsberg, a spokeswoman for the American Banking Association. "I would think they would want to keep a safe distance."



Maybe some, but not Gomez, a business and finance major who said he acted on instinct after coming face to face with James Madison, who pleaded guilty last month to robbing 19 banks in Union, Morris, Essex and Middlesex counties over 10 months.

A paroled killer who had been living in Maplewood, Madison wore a different hat in each robbery, giving rise to his nickname.

Gomez recounted that July day in his first public appearance since then, in front of law enforcement officials, reporters and his parents in a conference room at the Union County Prosecutor's Office in Elizabeth.


OFF GOES THE SHIRT

He said Madison didn't say a word when he walked into the Route 22 bank branch.

"He held up a sign asking for money," Gomez said. "It happened so quick, like in a heartbeat. My jaw just dropped. I couldn't believe it was happening to me."

Gathering himself, Gomez handed over the money, then heard a co-worker whisper that the robber was the Hat Bandit. As Madison left the building, Gomez followed, stripping off his maroon Bank of America dress shirt so he'd be less noticeable.

In his undershirt, Gomez ducked behind a car and watched as Madison climbed into a black Nissan Altima and drove away. Gomez quickly noted the plate number.

Madison, 50, was behind bars two days later. He is due to be sentenced Dec. 8.

Authorities yesterday lauded the student's bravery.

"What you did was extraordinary," Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi told Gomez. "You put your life at risk."

Had Gomez not acted, said Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, the robbery spree almost certainly would have continued.

Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow went further, calling Gomez a hero. Gomez said he doesn't feel like one.

"The heroes are the ones who helped out on 9/11," Gomez said. "I just did what any normal citizen would do and helped get this guy caught. I just did what was right."

[spokenword]

It's too funny!

Feds take Hat Bandit to wrong courthouse
by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
Thursday January 24, 2008, 6:00 AM
James Madison, the Hat Bandit, was taken to the wrong federal courthouse this morning, delaying his sentencing until this afternoon, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.


File Photo
James MadisonInstead of being brought to Newark for an 11 a.m. sentencing, Madison was taken to the Trenton courthouse, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for federal prosecutors. Madison is now being transported to Newark, and U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares is expected to commence sentencing at 1:30.


Madison was scheduled to face a federal judge today to learn his prison sentence. In preparation, the notorious bank robber is pleading for mercy, describing his spree of 19 heists in North and Central Jersey last year as a "very human mistake in judgement."

In a four-page letter to the judge, Madison portrayed himself as a Robin Hood who never used a gun during his crimes; a spiritual man who hoped to redeem himself after his prison term.

"I, too, remain a college-educated man who still envisions the American Dream - raising a family in my own home in the suburbs," the 50-year-old Madison wrote to U.S. District Judge Jose Linares. "I pray that this Court, Your Honor, does not preclude me from ever making that dream come true."

Madison's letter, which liberally quoted the Bible, made no mention of the fact that he previously served more than 18 years in jail for bludgeoning his ex-girlfriend to death. Prosecutors urged the judge to consider that crime.

"Madison's criminal history speaks volumes about the type of person he is," Assistant U.S. Attorney Shana Chen wrote in court papers, adding the defendant was "a person who constantly craves money, and who willingly and repeatedly resorts to violence to get it."

The court papers were recently filed to the judge, who made them public at the request of The Star-Ledger. The sentencing before Linares in Newark today marks the final chapter in an unusual case that captured the public's attention as Madison eluded authorities for 10 months by wearing a variety of hats for disguise.

The Maplewood man faces roughly between six and a half and eight years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines after pleading guilty to six counts of bank robbery. But prosecutors argue those guidelines don't fully account for the total 19 bank robberies he admitted; they are asking for a sentence of up to 10 years and one month.