Grandfather Admits Robbing Bank Drunk

Raymond Boeger, the 77-year-old grandfather blamed a drinking bout with friends as he pleaded guilty to bank robbery Monday.

He could be sent to federal prison for three years when he is sentenced March 2, though public defender H. Dean Steward said he will seek a sentence of house arrest and community service.

For now, Boeger remains free on $25,000 bond. He must attend an alcohol rehabilitation program and reduce living expenses.

Boeger at first explained the robbery by saying his wife had medical problems and that his electric-car business had failed. He later said the idea to rob the bank Sept. 17 came after a beer drinking with buddies.

“We were talking about how the banks don’t give loans to small businesses,” he told The Orange County Register. “It was money, money, money. And all the money we owed.”

Boeger was accused of using a handgun when he robbed the World Savings Bank in Huntington Beach. He wore a baseball cap and fake goatee and mustache and demanded $2,500. The teller gave the robber a bag of cash containing a red dye bomb, which exploded in Boeger’s car.

A witness gave police his license plate number and he was arrested a few hours later. Boeger had no prior criminal record.