Prison Awaits 'CU Bandit'

OMAHA, Neb. - (11/13/02) -- A man who terrorized tellers andmembers at credit unions throughout the Midwest during an 18-monthrobbery spree was convicted in federal court here last week and isheaded to jail. Richard Matzke, 58, dubbed the CreditUnion Bandit for his involvement in as many as 40 credit unionrobberies in eight area states, pleaded guilty last Friday to theMarch 21 armed robbery at Siouxland FCU in nearby Norfolk, Neb.,and is expected to be sentenced to 20-years in prison. Matzke, whohas been held here since his April arrest on robbery charges inneighboring Iowa, apparently spent all of the loot he stole fromthe credit unions, according to prosecutors. "We didn't recover anyof the money. We think he spent it all," Fred Franklin, assistantU.S. attorney, told The Credit Union Journal. Matzke was arrestedby local police at his home in Urbandale, Iowa, on a tip from hislive-in lover who saw his likeness from a surveillance videobroadcast on TV. Among the credit unions believed robbed by Matzkeare: Ralston Purina Employees FCU, Davenport, Iowa; Sioux ValleyCU, Sioux City, S.D.; First Federal Community FCU, Cedar Rapids,Iowa; Dakota Telco CU, Fargo, N.D.; Watertown Employees FCU,Watertown, S.D.; Albert Lea United Employees CU, Albert Lea, Minn.;Moline Municipal CU, Moline, Ill.; Midwest Regional CU, Ottawa,Kan; and Grand Valley Co-Op CU, Kalamazoo, Mich.