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'Handsome Guy Bandit' pleads guilty
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com
The Richardson man who was dubbed the "Handsome Guy Bandit," due to the mask he wore during bank robberies, has withdrawn his original not-guilty plea and pleaded guilty to two counts of brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. The plea was approved by a federal judge on Tuesday.
Steven Ray Milam, 45, will be sentenced later this year and faces 32 years to life in prison. This will be the second jail stint for Milam, who in 2005 was sentenced to two years in prison for robbing a Dallas bank.
Milam admitted his involvement in 11 bank robberies, beginning April 19, 2011 and ending on Dec. 31, 2011, when he shot at officers from the Richardson Police Department after robbing a bank in that city. Nine of the robberies occurred in the Metroplex, with the remaining two occurring in Houston.
According to court documents, during the May 17 robbery of the American National Bank (1300 Preston Road) Milam told the teller he had a handgun and escaped with $9,610. The second robbery occurred less than a month later on June 11, when he took $8,390 from the American National Bank (1101 E. Plano Parkway).
The final robbery occurred on New Year's Eve at the BBVA Compass Bank in the 1400 block of Campbell Road in Richardson. During the robbery, Milam told the teller "No dye packs or trackers. I'll kill you if you put them in the bag."
When Milam was confronted by police outside the bank, he fired several shots at officers, striking a police vehicle three times. Milam escaped police custody after the robbery, but the latex mask, which retails for nearly $800, as well as clothing, money and a 9mm pistol were recovered at the scene.
Milan intended to flee to Florida, court documents state, but was arrested after one of his rear tires was shot out during a high-speed chase in Jackson County, Miss. on Jan. 3.
During the 11 robberies, Milam stole more than $211,000. To date, only $32,210 has been recovered.
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