The ex-cop who robbed a Hialeah bank last February and left a stunningly simple trail of evidence that led cops right to him will spend a day short of a year behind bars after he was sentenced Wednesday.
Rolando Bolanos Jr. pleaded guilty to strong arm robbery in the Feb. 9, 2009 heist at the Bank Atlantic on the 7700 block of West 33rd Ave., according to the Miami Herald.
Bolanos, 38, will also serve six years' probation and pay back the $2,389 he netted in the robbery.
"I'm really embarrassed and ashamed at what happened. I'm sorry," he told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dava Tunis at Wednesday's court appearance, according to the Herald.
Though he tried to disguise himself and handed the teller a typed note during the robbery, Bolanos literally wore his guilt on his sleeve. Bolanos was wearing the same jacket during the robbery as one he was seen receiving as a gift on a home video.
Not to mention the distinguishing mole on his neck that witnesses spotted and former workmates at the Hialeah PD recalled, or the fact that a bank employee was able to get the robber's license plate number and description that just happened to match Bolanos' black Mercedes.
Then there's the fact that Bolanos deposited $2,200 into his bank account 20 minutes after the robbery. Not very crafty for an ex-cop.
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"Based upon the evidence, we just felt this was in his best interest," defense attorney Sam Rabin said after the sentencing.
Bolanos resigned from the force in 2004 after it was revealed that he hadn't disclosed that he was arrested before the Hialeah PD hired him. His father, Rolando Bolanos Sr., had been Hialeah's police chief for two decades before he retired in 2007.
