A bank robber whose disguises were far from masterful was arrested recently when cops from the 68th Precinct saw right through the alleged thief’s thick sunglasses and flimsy stick-on beard.
Now unmasked, George Greavu, a resident of 7801 Ridge Boulevard, has been connected to at least five bank robberies in Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Sunset Park and Midwood.
Cops said that they apprehended Greavu as he was allegedly returning from robbing the HSBC bank at 1702 Avenue U on June 5.
Lt. Christopher Montagna, who heads up special operations for the 68th Precinct, said that he and his officers identified Greavu from a surveillance photo taken during a heist at the Capital One Bank at 6501 11th Avenue – even though he was sporting a hat, sunglasses and fake beard at the time.
Lon Chaney he’s not, police explained.
“We knew him [Greavu] because of a prior arrest,” said Montagna. “We have some pretty sharp cops here, so when we saw the surveillance photo, we realized it was him.”
The officers decided that if another bank robbery took place, they would sit on Greavu’s home and catch him when he returned with his alleged ill-gotten gains.
Sure enough, a short time after the bank robbery on Avenue U, Greavu was allegedly seen running down his block and banging on the door of his home, which he shares with his mother.
“He’s in a rage, and when we go to approach him, we find that he’s got a bag of crack in his hands,” said Montagna.
Greavu was apprehended during a brief struggle. One of the cops in the arrest was injured when Greavu’s dog jumped into the fray and bit the officer in the legs and posterior.
When cops took him into custody, he allegedly admitted to the robbery spree, which began in September 2006.
Police said that Greavu allegedly robbed one bank in 2006, another in November 2007 and then two more this year. He also tried to rob the Sovereign Bank at 4823 13th Avenue, police alleged. His failure forced him to go to the Capital One Bank that he was photographed in, police said.
Greavu reportedly gave police permission to search his home, where they found police scanners, boxes of ammunition and an assortment of glue on beards.
“A bunch of the beards were still in their packages, so we know he was going to do more,” Montagna said.
Greavu reportedly never spoke when he robbed the bank and instead handed over threatening notes.
The notes were also very specific, according to police.
During his last heist, he reportedly handed the teller a note that read, “Give me $900 fast!”
That was exactly what he received, said police, who estimated that he had taken about $50,000 from area banks over the years.
Credited for the arrest were Montagna, Sergeant Christopher McGibbons and Police Officers John Papio, Salvatore Vitale and Christopher Ancona.
