Masked man faces third round of federal bank robbery charges in Pinellas County

David Sartin, 40, is currently held in the Pinellas County Jail on federal bank robbery charges.

He faces allegations of two recent heists in the St. Petersburg and Largo areas. Both crimes involved a distinctive disguise. Authorities say Sartin wore a mask resembling an elderly man with wrinkled cheeks and a bulbous nose. He also wore a dark suit and gloves while carrying a black bag with a cross strap.

The first of the two alleged robberies occurred on Aug. 24 at Valley Bank in Largo. Sartin entered the building before 1:30 p.m. and demanded cash. Surveillance video shows him leaving with $2,900. He fled on a bicycle before driving away in a black Toyota FJ Cruiser with a white top. The vehicle was later traced to Sartin's father, David Sartin Sr.

The second incident took place on Sept. 15 at a Truist branch in St. Petersburg. Sartin again used a note to demand large bills. He sprinted out of the bank and returned to the Toyota SUV 50 minutes later. A covert camera placed near his girlfriend’s home on 62nd Street North recorded him removing a bicycle from the vehicle. The next day, he was seen spray-painting the roof of the SUV black.

Police and federal agents searched two homes in St. Petersburg following the arrests. They seized a journal titled "God's Best friend is a Bank Robber!" The document was dated Jan. 1, 2021. One page contained a drawing of a character holding a mask with the caption: "My face holding up Uncle Henry. Looking at it. Face to Face." Agents also found an old-man mask and similar clothing in a storage unit Sartin had rented.

This is the third time Sartin has faced federal charges for bank heists. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery in Mississippi and served just over three years in prison. In 2016, he was part of a pair of robbers who stole more than $30,000 in a five-bank spree in San Antonio. He received a 10-year sentence for that case and completed it in May 2025.

National data indicates that bank robberies have become far less common than they were two decades ago. The FBI recorded 1,362 bank robberies in 2023. That number drops sharply from the 7,644 recorded in 2003. Most recent incidents are note jobs. In 2023, only a little more than a third of robberies involved a weapon, and fewer than 5% were classified as takeovers where criminals seized control of the branch.

Sartin was on federal probation when the recent robberies occurred. He had been arrested for theft in South Carolina and cited for speeding in Florida between the two alleged heists. Both incidents violated his release conditions. He was arrested on Sept. 19.

Sartin told a Tampa Bay Times reporter in an email that he would consult his attorney before commenting. His lawyer, Julia Seifer-Smith, said he could not speak due to the pending case. In his email, Sartin wrote: "I deff have a story. Even with something so negative, there is something still very human and beautiful in it."