Octogenarian Who Robbed Credit Union Found Competent to Stand Trial

A federal judge ruled an 82-year-old man indicted for the armed robbery of an Arizona credit union is competent to stand trial in October.

On Jan. 12, 2018, Robert Francis Krebs walked into a branch of the $166 million Pyramid Federal Credit Union in Tucson with a black BB handgun and stole more than $8,000. Police captured him the next day without incident. The octogenarian’s crime drew national headlines for weeks.

“Defendant’s testimony, his three expert evaluations, his personal history and his interview with the FBI, all support the conclusion that the government has demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that defendant is competent to stand trial,” U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer G. Zipps wrote in her 28-page ruling released last week.

Krebs pleaded not guilty to the armed bank robbery felony charge in March 2018 in Tucson’s U.S. District Court. A jury trial was scheduled for August.

In July, however, a federal public defender representing Krebs, observed that his client seemed to have signs of dementia. In at least one instance, Krebs was not able to recognize his lawyer or communicate in any way.

Marisa Menchola, Ph.D., an assistant professor for the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Arizona, examined Krebs and determined he was not competent to stand trial, and he was not “restorable to competence.” Krebs also claimed he was diagnosed with onset Alzheimer’s disease that was getting exponentially worse.

A second examination on Krebs was conducted by medical doctor Bradley Johnson, who also specializes in psychiatry and neurology. His evaluation report determined Krebs was competent to stand trial and that the accused robber was “more likely consistent with malingering,” or that he was possibly faking dementia, according to court documents.

Because both evaluation reports had deficiencies, it was ordered that Krebs be hospitalized at a federal medical center for four months to undergo medical examinations, evaluations and observations.

While hospitalized, Krebs was observed to have exhibited a much higher level of functioning than a person with dementia or severe cognitive impairment would ordinarily present.

“Defendant likewise demonstrated strong recall and cognitive ability during interviews and defendant’s MRI brain imaging and other lab work did not show any clear evidence of organic impairment,” Judge Zipps wrote.

What’s more, after Krebs robbed the Pyramid FCU branch, he told FBI agents he didn’t wear a disguise because he wanted to go back to prison where he “didn’t have to contend with what’s going on in the outside world with cell phones and everything else.”

He also robbed the credit union because he needed cash, complaining that the $800 monthly Social Security check was not enough to live on.

“He explained that the last seven months were the worst in his life as he tried to adjust to life on the outside,” Krebs told FBI agents.

Because of his age and his criminal record spanning six decades, the armed robbery drew national headlines from the mainstream and trade press. Krebs was aware of this publicity, according to court documents.

His first crime occurred when Krebs was 24 in 1966 when he was convicted of embezzlement at a Chicago bank where he worked as teller. After that, Krebs spent many years of his adult life for committing other crimes such as grand larceny, theft, robbery, and kidnapping in three states. He also did time in Canada for extortion, court documents show.

After he was released in June 1, 2017 on parole in Florida where he had been serving a 75-year sentence for robbery and kidnapping, he violated his parole conditions in November 2017 and ended up in Tucson.

His trial has been scheduled for Oct. 8 in Tucson’s federal court.