By EVAN NEMEROFF
Police said David Graf, 29, of Seaford, and Lauren Becker, 26, of Commack, robbed six different banks in Nassau County to support their drug addiction to heroin. According to Det. Sgt. John Giambrone, of the robbery squad, the suspects stole about $10,000 in total from all the banks, which included the TD Bank on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst. The other banks that Graf and Becker reportedly hit included Citibank in East Meadow, Chase Bank in Plainview, Capital One in Albertson, TD Bank in Massapequa and Citibank in Wantagh, as well as a failed attempt to rob Washington Mutual in Levittown.
According to police, Graf entered the banks without a weapon and issued the teller a note demanding cash. Police said, in three of the robberies, he then walked out and fled in a getaway car that Becker was driving. "The couple would leave the scene of the robbery, dump the vehicle someplace and get on a train to hide," Giambrone said.
Crime Stoppers received a phone call from a homeowner on St. Marks Avenue in Bellmore who identified the car that the police were looking for. Graf was arrested in Bellmore while Becker was arrested in a hotel in Copaigue where the couple was residing.
"The robbers hit a different bank every three days," Giambrone said. "We received leads through Crime Stoppers and thank everyone who was involved in leading to this arrest."
At an arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead on April 8, Graf was charged with six counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery, while Becker was charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery. Both subjects are being held without bail at Nassau County jail in East Meadow until their hearings later this month.
Comments about this story? ENemeroff@ liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
