Former ATM technician arrested following FBI investigation into Tallahassee bank robbery

Christopher Cann, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read

An FBI investigation into a Tallahassee bank robbery uncovered a years-long scheme that spanned the state of Florida and led to a federal arrest of a former ATM technician.

Saint-Louis Johnson was arrested on a slew of federal charges including armed robbery and bank robbery in November. His jury trial is set to begin March 2.

The robbery that led to his being caught occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the walk-up ATM outside the Bank of America at 5676 Thomasville Road.

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An ATM technician was tending to the malfunctioning machine when he was approached by a gunman who FBI agents later identified as Johnson after connecting him through surveillance footage and bank transaction records.

"Sit down, turn around and don't look at (me)," Johnson told the technician, according to court records.

While he was emptying the money out of the ATM, the technician jumped up, sprinted away and screamed for help. Johnson got away with $104,840, according to the FBI.

Investigators immediately pulled transaction records at the ATM, which led them to Johnson's name and a description that came from a surveillance camera that had the robbery in its frame.

Johnson, between some time in 2012 and May 2019, worked for a company that maintains and builds ATMs.
Johnson, between some time in 2012 and May 2019, worked for a company that maintains and builds ATMs.

Johnson, between some time in 2012 and May 2019, worked for a company that maintains and builds ATMs used by Bank of America and other financial institutions.

He was fired in 2019 after he was investigated by his employer and Chase Bank for "illegally accessing over 50 ATMs, which resulted in approximately $292,000 in missing currency," read an FBI affidavit.

Bank of America pulled all of Johnson's transaction records and found that his account was connected to a February ATM robbery in Longwood, which FBI agents said had a similar "modus operandi ... to that of the Tallahassee ATM robbery."

In that robbery, he bagged $130,000.

Investigators also linked Johnson to a November 2019 robbery at a Boca Raton Bank of America. There, he asked a technician at gunpoint to fill a plastic bag with money, which the bank totaled at $192,000.

Along with his bank account, investigators said a man with the same appearance appeared in surveillance footage pulled from each ATM. In at least two of the robberies, he was seen driving the same car and license plate.

In December, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on three charges related to the armed robberies.

Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Man arrested on federal charges after robbing a Tallahassee bank