Robber Won’t Be Stealing the Show Any Time Soon

Maybe a wannabe actor from Hollywood should have settled for a nice part in community theater--perhaps a production of “Take the Money and Run” at the local high school.

Instead, Charley Saturmin Robinet, a French citizen who came to the U.S. to make his mark in show biz, will play a supporting role in prison for the robbery of a Thousand Oaks bank.

His inner motivation?

Money for acting classes at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, according to a tape-recorded statement he gave to authorities after his arrest.

“I’ve never had a case like this one,” said Assistant U.S. Atty. Cheryl Murphy, who prosecuted the star-crossed robber.

Robinet, 24, was found guilty Monday of conspiracy, armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in the holdup of the Wells Fargo branch at 3695 Thousand Oaks Blvd. on Feb. 23. He faces up to 37 years in prison.

Robinet, who is to be sentenced in August, pistol-whipped a bank employee. He and two accomplices led police on a high-speed pursuit over rain-slicked highways to Ventura. When he was captured after a foot chase along the beach-side promenade, he was carrying $33,500.

A spokesman for the respected Beverly Hills Playhouse said he had not heard of Robinet. He wouldn’t disclose the cost of classes, saying only that they are not the most expensive in town.