OJAI : Man Gets 7 Years in Prison for Robberies

A Meiners Oaks man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for five Ojai bank robberies, including three at a Bank of A. Levy branch where he previously held an account, FBI officials said Tuesday.

Mark Allyn Tory, 34, who had no prior criminal record, received the prison sentence plus five years parole from U. S. District Court Judge Manuel Real on Monday in Los Angeles, authorities said.

After a two-day trial, Tory was convicted May 12 of robbing the Bank of A. Levy at 402 W. Ojai Ave. on Jan. 12, and Feb. 3 and 26. He was also convicted of robbing the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 202 E. Matilija St. on Jan. 26 and March 9, and of using a firearm during the Jan. 12 robbery.

Investigators identified Tory after several Bank of A. Levy tellers recognized him as a former customer, FBI Agent John Kuhn said.

“During the first robbery, an employee approached him and said: ‘Hello. I haven’t seen you for a while,’ ” Kuhn said, adding that employees were then shocked when Tory presented a teller with a demand note that said: “Give me all the money in the top drawer or I’ll shoot you in the face.”

Tory was again recognized by bank employees when he robbed the bank two more times, Kuhn said.

Authorities also focused on Tory as a suspect after Wells Fargo employees said the robber had worn a full-length red jumpsuit emblazoned with the logo of Otis Engineering Corp. of Ventura. Tory had worked for the oil equipment company as a trainee from late 1989 to early 1990, officials said.