A convicted serial bank robber who evaded prison for months after failing to surrender earlier this year was captured this week by federal agents in El Monte, California.
Rickey Lewis, 59, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to a string of Los Angeles-area bank robberies committed while he was already on supervised release for previous similar crimes. Despite being ordered to report to prison in January 2024, Lewis never appeared, prompting the FBI to issue a wanted bulletin and launch a months-long manhunt with the U.S. Marshals Service.
On Wednesday, members of the FBI Fugitive Task Force located and apprehended Lewis in El Monte. He now faces additional charges for violating the terms of his supervised release and for failing to surrender for his prison term.
Lewis’ most recent conviction stemmed from a six-day crime spree in January 2019, during which he robbed two JPMorgan Chase branches in Gardena and an International City Bank branch in Long Beach. He also attempted, but failed, to rob a Bank of America branch in Downey. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Lewis threatened to shoot bank employees during the robberies, though he was not seen with a firearm.
Despite attempts to hide his fingerprints by covering his fingers with clear tape, investigators recovered a partial palm print that matched Lewis.
This was not Lewis’ first run-in with the law. In 2006, he was convicted of six bank robberies in South L.A. and Inglewood. His 2019 spree netted him just over $4,000, but added years to his criminal record and ultimately led to his current prison sentence and new legal troubles.
