Alleged 'Groucho Bandit' nabbed after fresh heist

Prosecutors asked a judge Monday to jail the man FBI agents call the "Groucho Bandit," saying the bank robber known for his bushy fake mustache struck again while free on bond awaiting trial.

Michael Staadt, 37, allegedly walked away from the treatment facility where he was supposed to stay as a condition of his bond and robbed a nearby bank of $3,420 Friday afternoon, federal prosecutors said in court papers.

They said it was the same bank Staadt allegedly robbed last June when FBI agents were searching for the so-called Groucho Bandit -- known for the fake mustache that made him resemble old-time comic Groucho Marx.

A teller recognized Staadt on Friday and agents located him just a few hours after the robbery and took him into custody, prosecutors said. They asked a court to revoke his bail and order him held in jail.

As a condition of his bond, Staadt was required to remain at the inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse facility where he was living. He was not supposed to leave the premises without permission from the court.

Staadt's defense attorney, Thomas Anthony Durkin, said in response to a question: "All I can say is that we'll address it in court, but it's a very, very sad situation." He declined to comment further.

The bank's video camera clearly showed that the robber was Staadt, prosecutors said.

Staadt is charged with three counts of bank robbery. But agents said in court papers he was believed to have committed several others and attempted to rob still another in a spree that began May 29.