Drug Habit Blamed for Bank Robberies
A North Hills man has told investigators that he committed numerous bank robberies to sustain his $500-a-day cocaine and heroin addiction, officials said Thursday.
Warren Jay Kahn, called the “Do It Now” robber by authorities because he allegedly handed bank tellers notes demanding money “now,” told investigators he would leave the banks and immediately buy cocaine and heroin, court documents show.
“Kahn has been seriously addicted to heroin and cocaine for approximately nine months and has resorted to robbing banks in order to support his habit,” FBI agent Patrick M. Conley said in an affidavit.
Kahn was arrested Tuesday in Lancaster and charged with robbing about $1,900 from the Tokai Bank in Encino on Feb. 28.
Police tracked him down through his auto license plate number, and interviews with neighbors, court records show.
Kahn is suspected in as many as 16 robberies from Burbank to Canyon Country over a two-month period earlier this year, authorities said. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, said additional charges might be filed.
Kahn is expected to be arraigned May 8 in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, Mrozek said. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center without bond.
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