Duane Kurt Makela, Armed Bank Robbery, California 2019

Five banks. Four guns. One suspect. Duane Kurt Makela, 49, of Oakland, has been indicted on federal charges for a string of armed bank heists that terrorized the Bay Area over a four-month spree in late 2018 and early 2019. Federal prosecutors say Makela used force, violence, and intimidation to rip off $33,301.00 from financial institutions stretching from Mountain View to Palo Alto.

The indictment, unsealed this morning in San Francisco, lays bare a calculated crime wave. Between October 19, 2018, and February 4, 2019, Makela allegedly stormed into the Meriwest Credit Union in Mountain View, a Chase Bank in South San Francisco, a U.S. Bank in Alameda, another U.S. Bank in Castro Valley, and capped it off with a daylight hit at a Wells Fargo in Palo Alto. Four of the five robberies involved a weapon—each one escalating the threat to tellers and customers alike.

Charges against Makela include four counts of armed bank robbery under 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) and (d), each carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. The final count, for the unarmed Wells Fargo robbery, carries a 20-year maximum. If convicted on all counts, Makela could face life behind bars, not to mention steep fines, restitution, and asset forfeiture.

Despite the severity of the allegations, Makela remains legally innocent until proven guilty. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Sallie Kim, who ordered him held without bond pending trial. The decision reflects the prosecution’s argument that Makela poses a risk to public safety and a flight risk given the gravity of the charges.

His next court date looms on May 23, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., when he’ll face U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick. The case is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Walsh, with support from investigator Margoth Turcios. The FBI spearheaded the probe, working in lockstep with local police departments in Mountain View, South San Francisco, Alameda, and Palo Alto, as well as the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

The string of robberies rattled communities used to relative calm. Surveillance footage from some locations shows Makela moving with cold precision, demanding cash and disappearing fast. Now, federal authorities say, the chase is over. The real battle begins in court.

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