Mohamed Worku allegedly handed over a note which said ‘please give me the money’
A bit of politeness goes a long way, though the results are rarely more than an extra favour or a friendly smile.
For Mohamed Worku, a 31-year-old man from Chicago, it seems to be the difference between freedom and jail.
Two years ago, he walked into a bank, walked up to a teller and pressed a note against the glass which read: ‘Give me the money please, thank you.’
He left with around $595 (£467), according to court filed, and managed to spend around a hundred before his arrest half an hour later.
Worku allegedly walked out with $2,000 after showing a teller this note
Last Friday, a jury found him not guilty of robbing the bank after his defence argued there were ‘no implicit or explicit threats of any kind’, a court heard.
Worku’s attorney, Mary Judge, admitted her client had committed a crime but argued it didn’t amount to robbery, which involves stealing something by force or ‘intimidation’.
On Monday afternoon, three days after his release, he allegedly walked into another bank and handed an employee a similarly courteous note.
Worku now faces charges of both bank robbery and theft, which doesn’t require intimidation
‘Please Give me the money, I’ll pay it back soon, Banker’s Gife (sic) to me in advance,’ it said, according to a criminal complaint against him.
The worker gave him more than $2,000 (£1,570) to set him on his way, and he was again arrested half an hour later, around $200 short of what he left with, the complaint says.
This time, though, he’s set to be charged with both bank robbery and bank theft, a charge which does not require force or intimidation to be involved.
Ms Judge, who is no longer representing Worku, told the Chicago Tribune the jury made the correct decision in his last case, and that including theft charges in such cases is how ‘it should be done’.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Mohamed Worku, 31, allegedly walked away with $2,000 after handing over a note which said ‘Please give me the money, I’ll pay it back soon.’