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Oahu man, 23, pleads guilty in federal court to trio of October bank robberies

A 23-year-old Oahu man is facing up to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to an October crime spree where he robbed three Oahu banks and tried to rob the Taco Bell in Kapolei, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii.

Micah Roman-Santos, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth J. Mansfield’s court to two counts of bank robbery, one count of armed bank robbery, and one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery. The Hobbs Act, enacted in 1946 to combat racketeering in labor management disputes, prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce “in any way or degree,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Roman-Santos, who has a tattoo on his neck that reads “Murder” and has more than a dozen prior arrests at the state level since he turned 18, faces significant jail time, according to court records.

The investigation was run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Honolulu Police Department. Roman-Santos was arrested by Honolulu police officers on Oct. 14.

The bank robbery and Hobbs Act robbery provide for a maximum sentence of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of federal probation. The charge of armed bank robbery could result in a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and five years of federal probation.

Roman-Santos’ sentencing is set for Jan. 25 before U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi.

Authorities say that in the first week of October, Roman-Santos robbed banks in Pearlridge Center, Waianae and Kapolei.

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