A serial bank robber was ordered last Wednesday to serve 10 years in federal prison for targeting four banks, including one in the Northeast.
Mark Labenz, 33, pleaded guilty in March to robbing Citizens Bank at 2102 Cottman Ave. on Dec. 31, 2009, as well as three other locations within the last year. He also robbed Republic Bank at 833 Chestnut St. last Dec. 19, Prudential Savings Bank at 28 N. Third St. last Dec. 23 and Wells Fargo Bank at 340–50 S. Second St. last Jan. 3. In the most recent heist, Labenz physically restrained a bank patron while demanding money from an employee, prosecutors said. He also stole $400 cash from the patron.
Criminal records show numerous addresses for Labenz in Philadelphia. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Juan Sanchez ordered him to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution of $5,889. ••
