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‘Band-Aid Bandit’ ordered to give up booty

The so-called Band-Aid Bandit and his sidekick, already convicted of conspiring to rob banks across west Florida, have been ordered to give up their guns, bank accounts and more than $500,000 in cash.
Rafael Rondon, Emeregildo Roman
Rafael Rondon, left, who often wore a bandage to cover a mole on his face, and Emeregildo Roman are responsible for 39 bank heists, authorities said.AP
/ Source: The Associated Press

The so-called Band-Aid Bandit and his sidekick, already convicted of conspiring to rob banks across west Florida, have been ordered to give up their guns, bank accounts and more than $500,000 in cash.

Rafael Rondon, 47, of Clermont, and Emeregildo Roman, 54, of Davenport, were convicted in April and face as much as 100 years in federal prison when they are sentenced June 29.

Rondon got his nickname because he often wore a bandage to cover a distinctive mole on his face. Authorities said he was responsible for heists at 39 banks from Sarasota to Gainesville from 2000 through 2006, taking nearly $1 million. The two were prosecuted for six robberies.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday granted prosecution motions seeking the defendants' property, including $505,530 in proceeds from the six robberies.

Among other things, Merryday ordered Rondon to forfeit his house, his 2001 Lincoln Navigator, his 1999 Chevrolet Blazer and a 1997 Dodge pickup, in addition to his gun and cash investigators seized when he was arrested.

Roman was ordered to forfeit a Chrysler 300C, currency, his gun and the contents of two bank accounts.