‘North Center Bandit’ gets 3 years in prison for bank robbery

A bank robber once dubbed the “North Center Bandit” by federal authorities has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.

Judge Thomas M. Durkin sentenced 39-year-old Greg Zuercher of Chicago to 41 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, according to a statement from the FBI. He was also ordered to pay $11,363 in restitution.

Zuercher pleaded guilty in February to three counts of bank robbery, according to federal court documents. He was indicted in August of 2016 for robbing several North Side banks, including a Chase Bank branch at 5352 N. Elston on June 8, 2016.

A surveillance photo from that heist matched the description of the “North Center Bandit,” who had robbed four North Side banks in 2015.

The FBI issued a statement with photos from the June 2016 robbery and offered a $5,000 reward for information. The release of the photos led to 13 tips identifying the suspect as Zuercher, authorities said at the time.

Zuercher is expected to report for his prison sentence in January 2018, according to the FBI.