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Getaway driver from Bolingbrook convicted in several bank robberies

By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Published  January 31, 2025 12:35pm CST
Bolingbrook
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • A federal jury found Tarandle Lee, 45, guilty of four robberies in which he acted as the getaway driver for his accomplice, Charles Lawler.
    • The duo targeted banks and a credit union in Lisle, Westmont, Woodridge, and Downers Grove between 2021 and 2022.
    • Lee faces up to 20 years in prison for each robbery, while Lawler, who pleaded guilty, will be sentenced on March 11, 2025.

LISLE, Ill. - A federal jury has convicted a Bolingbrook man who acted as the getaway driver in multiple bank and credit union robberies across the Chicago suburbs.

What we know:

Tarandle Lee, 45, was found guilty of four robberies after serving as the driver while his accomplice, Charles Lawler, entered the banks and credit union with demand notes, according to prosecutors.

Lee was convicted of the following robberies:

  • Sept. 28, 2021: Old Second Bank in Lisle
  • Oct. 6, 2021: Bank Financial in Westmont
  • Jan. 3, 2022: BMO Harris Bank in Woodridge
  • April 14, 2022: DuPage Credit Union in Downers Grove

Additionally, Lawler robbed BMO Harris Bank in Naperville on Sept. 22, 2021, without Lee’s involvement.

Lawler, 54, of Villa Park, pleaded guilty before trial to the first three robberies and admitted to his role in the final two.

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What's next:

Lee faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the four robberies, while Lawler faces the same potential sentence for the three robberies he pleaded guilty to.

Lee’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Lawler is set to be sentenced on March 11, 2025.

The Source: The information from this article was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.

BolingbrookLisleWestmontWoodridgeDowners GroveCrime and Public SafetyNews