This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A husband and wife duo face federal charges in connection with a string of bank robberies around the Salt Lake Valley.
Matthew Rosensweig, 31, carried out three robberies, each time handing a teller a note claiming he had a bomb or gun, and attempted two more robberies — all while his getaway-driver wife waited in the car, according to a complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.
Matthew faces five felony counts and his wife, 33-year-old Sarah Rosensweig, faces two. Each count carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The couple is scheduled to make a court appearance on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke C. Wells.
According to court documents, the first robbery happened Sept. 20 at a Zions Bank located at 455 E. South Temple. A man wearing "multiple layers" under a hooded sweatshirt and blue rubber gloves walked into the bank's lobby and handed a teller a note claiming he had a bomb.
"Don't be a hero," the robber said, according to court documents. The teller gave the man money and he left.
A few weeks later, on Oct. 9, a man robbed the same bank. He handed the teller a note that read, "Don't be a hero, no GPS no Dye packs," charges state. Then he told the teller, "No dye packs."
On Oct. 17, a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and blue gloves robbed a Bank of the West at 2011 E. Blackstone Road in Cottonwood Heights. The robber waited outside for the bank to open and then gave the teller a note mentioning a bomb and a gun, charges state.
Tips eventually led federal agents and Salt Lake police to a Motel 6 near 7200 South and I-15. According to court documents, they watched as the Rosenweigs got into their car and headed north, where they appeared to be casing another Zions bank at 3900 S. 700 East.
Matthew Rosenweig, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and multiple layers and wearing blue gloves, got out of the car, and was immediately arrested. Police found a note on him that read, "No police or I start to shoot! This is a robbery."
Matthew Rosensweig also faces a charge for another attempted bank robbery. According to court documents, security cameras captured Rosensweig trying to get inside the Zions Bank on South Temple on Oct. 9. The bank, however, was closed in observance of Columbus Day.
Twitter: @aaronfalk