Man planned to rob bank to pay for a going-to-jail party
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CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) -
He was already facing a lengthy jail term, so heroin addict Mickey Loniello Jr. figured he'd have a little fun before he turned himself in — by robbing a bank to pay for a going-away party.
But the FBI was in on his ill-conceived plan from the beginning, and on Thursday, Loniello was sentenced to 19 months behind bars.
Loniello, 36, hatched his plot back in 2007 with a pair of conspirators, one of whom was a federal informant wearing a wire.
Agents were listening as the crew plotted to steal a getaway car — Loniello's had been towed after his arrest; then cased a Chase Bank branch at 933 W. Madison in Oak Park.
The FBI even provided the dud .45 caliber handgun Loniello planned to use. It was waiting for him and his accomplice, Nathaniel Aguilar, in the parking lot when they tried to carry out the heist on May 25, 2007.
In court Thursday, Loniello, who previously pleaded guilty under a deal with prosecutors, apologized to U.S. District Judge James Zagel and said he "was not in the right state of mind" when he attempted the bank robbery.
Loniello's attorney Steven Shobat said Loniello was finally serious about tackling his heroin addiction, a fight Zagel noted would be "difficult," but "can be done."
Loniello has already served his 19-month federal sentence but will now be transferred to the Cook County Jail because he still has a pending drug case.
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