Daniel Plushkisi is charged in the Algonquin robbery. The FBI is investigating if Daniel and Jessica Plushkis could have been involved in four other bank robberies in Cook and McHenry counties. (Photos courtesy of Algonquin Police Department)

A Crystal Lake couple has been charged in connection with the robbery of an Algonquin bank and are viewed as possible suspects in four other bank robberies in Cook and McHenry counties.

Daniel Plushkis, 26, and his wife, Jessica, 28, have been charged with bank robbery for the Dec. 23 heist at the TCF Bank inside the Jewel-Osco, 103 S. Randall Road.

Two employees of the grocery store and a bystander are credited with apprehending Daniel Plushkis in the Jewel parking lot after following him from the store, according to FBI agents.

Jessica Plushkis allegedly told agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigations that her husband had said earlier that day that they needed money and suggested that they rob a bank. She said they were headed to a different grocery store that afternoon for food when Daniel told her to go to the Jewel instead.

Jessica said she knew there was a TCF Bank in the store and believed Daniel was going to rob it.

Jessica Plushkis is charged in the Algonquin robbery. The FBI is investigating if Daniel and Jessica Plushkis could have been involved in four other bank robberies in Cook and McHenry counties. (Photos courtesy of Algonquin Police Department)

Once they entered the Jewel parking lot, she said, her husband took a maroon-and-tan glove, fake beard and pair of sunglasses from a bag on the back seat and put them on.

He told her to drop him off and wait for him on the west side of the building, FBI agents said.

After a short time, she said, her husband exited the store, but was followed by several people. She saw Daniel start running and be tackled by one of the people following him.

FBI agents say at that point Jessica Plushkis panicked, left the parking lot at a high rate of speed and ran a stop sign. She was stopped by an Algonquin police officer in the area.

Police said inside the vehicle they found a bag containing another maroon-and-tan glove and a notebook with several bank-demand notes and several partially completed demand notes.

Agents said a note taped to the manila envelope Daniel Plushkis gave to a TCF teller read, “Read whole note. I have a gun. Do exactly as I say and no one will get hurt. Empty bottom drawer into this envelope. Top drawer – all 100’s, 50’s, 10’s into this envelope. No tracking devices. No ink bombs. No eye contact with anyone else. You have 20 seconds.”

The teller said she never saw the note attached to the envelope.

Police said Daniel Plushkis stepped in front of a customer completing a transaction and said, “I’m sorry, ma’am. I hate to do this” and handed the manila envelope to the teller. She said she recognized him as a bank robber as he was dressed the same as the offender in a TCF security notice she had seen.

An individual matching the description of Daniel Plushkis and the outfit he wore robbed TCF banks in

Arlington Heights, Huntley and Streamwood, and a Chase bank in Cary.

In addition to the Algonquin TCF robbery at 3:15 p.m. Dec. 23, an offender, who agents say wore a wig with long black hair in the robberies, is believed to have struck at:

• 2:56 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Chase Bank, 300 Northwest Highway, Cary.
• 3:45 p.m. Dec. 10 at the TCF Bank, 13200 Village Green Drive, Huntley.
• 6:45 p.m. Dec. 13 at the TCF Bank, 1860 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights.
• 6:03 p.m. Dec. 20 at the TCF Bank, 217 Irving Park Road, Streamwood.

“Both defendants remain in state custody on state charges and we anticipate transferring the defendants to federal custody in the next week or two,” said Special Agent Garrett Croon, the FBI’s Chicago media coordinator.

As of right now, the two Crystal Lake residents are only charged with the Algonquin bank robbery.

When the Algonquin TCF teller took the manila envelope, Daniel Plushkis allegedly said “Give me everything in your bottom drawer.”

After the teller put money in the envelope, Plushkis said “hundreds and fifties too,” according to FBI agents.

The teller then put more money into the envelope and gave it back to the Plushkis, agents said.

The FBI said as Plushkis left the store, a bystander and a Jewel employee began following him.

Another Jewel employees began following Plushkis as well and yelled, “He just robbed the bank.”

One of the Jewel employees tackled Plushkis and held him down until police arrived, according to agents.

The Algonquin officer who arrived on the scene said he recognized Plushkis, after his disguise was removed, from prior contact with him.

When initially stopped, Algonquin police said, Jessica Plushkis said she had seen the happenings in the parking lot, became frightened and fled the scene to get away from the activity.

Agents said that, upon questioning, Jessica Plushkis recognized the handwriting on the demand note as her husband’s and, after being shown video surveillance of the robbery, said that was how her husband was dressed when he left the vehicle.

—   Couple charged in bank heist, other charges may come —-