A 74-year-old woman, Ann Mayers, has been arrested and charged after allegedly robbing a bank in Ohio at gunpoint.
Mayers, who robbed an Ohio credit union last week on April 19, is believed to be a victim of an online scam, according to her relatives, who suggested she may have been trying to solve her financial problems.
She faces counts of aggravated robbery with a firearm and tampering with evidence in Friday’s robbery in Fairfield Township, north of Cincinnati.
The second charge stems from Mayers’ decision to toss her clothing out of the car window while making her way home after the robbery, according to the complaint.
“If convicted, Mayers could face up to 15 years in prison,” authorities said.
She remained jailed Wednesday, April 24, on a $100,000 bond pending an initial court appearance, and court records do not list an attorney for her.
Officers arrested Mayers at her Hamilton home shortly after the robbery, Fairfield police said in a Facebook post. A handgun was found in her car, which police allege she used in the robbery.
According to a copy of the complaint, Ann Mayers allegedly told investigators with the Fairfield Township Police Department (FTPD) that she was the person who walked into the AurGroup Financial Credit Union Bank and demanded a teller turn over some of the bank’s cash while brandishing a gun.
Bodycam footage taken at the time of her arrest shows that it only took Mayers a few seconds to allegedly confess, as she immediately tells the arresting officers, “I did whatever you’re here for.”
“The robbery,” she specified when asked to elaborate.
Authorities later learned that Mayers might have been a scam victim and are looking into the claims. Her relatives told detectives that she had been sending money to an unidentified individual, The Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday.
“In that aspect, some may see her as a ‘victim,'” Sgt. Brandon McCroskey told the newspaper.
“Unfortunately, Ann chose to victimize several other people in the bank by robbing it with a firearm as a remedy for her situation.”
Still, McCroskey called Mayers’ situation “very sad and unfortunate” if what her relatives say is true.
He said she reportedly spoke with family members about robbing banks in the days leading up to the holdup, but they did not take her comments seriously.
“Scams against seniors have become increasingly common over the last 10 to 15 years,” experts noted. Among them are so-called grandparent scams in which callers claim to be anyone from a victim’s grandchild to a police officer and tell the victim something terrible happened and that their younger relative needs money.
