San Diego bank robber reveals his identity by using ATM card during heist

Reporting from San Diego —  If only all crimes were so easy to solve: Alvin Lee Neal robbed a downtown San Diego bank, but before he did he inserted his ATM debit card at the teller window — revealing his name and other personal information.

Neal, 56, was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to three years and 10 months in prison for the robbery, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Neal entered the Wells Fargo branch on First Avenue on May 13 and approached a teller window, according to his plea agreement. He swiped his card through the card reader, and when the teller asked how he could be helped, Neal replied: “You’re being robbed. Don’t make a mistake.” He then handed the teller a note that had a similar statement.

When the teller hesitated, Neal said: “You don’t want anyone to get hurt, don’t make a mistake.”

The teller handed him $565 and Neal ran out of the bank, according to the complaint.

With his debit card information on hand, investigators looked up his driver’s license and address. A registered sex offender, Neal previously had been convicted of attempted rape and sexual battery, according to the California Megan’s Law website.

FBI agents and San Diego police set up surveillance at a downtown hostel and stopped Neal as he left the building. He agreed to a search of the room he was staying in, which turned up a checkered, double-breasted jacket that appeared to match one the robber had worn, as well as Neal’s debit card, the complaint said.

He admitted to robbing the bank when questioned by investigators, according to the complaint. As part of his sentence, Neal was ordered to pay $565 in restitution to the bank.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune