A man who robbed a bank in Batavia in November 2007 entered a guilty plea in federal court on Friday, admitting to a total of five bank robberies in Western New York and Pennsylvania.
Michael Makolinski, 31, of Buffalo, faces up to 25 years in jail, a $1 million fine or both after pleading guilty to bank robbery.
“In his greed to steal the money of others, this serial bank robber thought he could prey upon banks located is some of our smaller communities, as well as in Buffalo,” said U.S. Attorney William Hochul. “As today’s convictions prove, the defendant’s belief was wrong.”
Besides the robbery of the Bank of America branch in Batavia, Makolinski, who appeared to display a gun in each robbery, hit banks in Erie, Pa., Irondequoit, Lewiston and Buffalo.
All of the robberies occurred between October 2007 and December 2007.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 13.
