Cross-dressing thief faces 40 years for Tosa bank robbery

A man dressed as a woman allegedly robbed Tri City Bank, 10859 W. Bluemound Road, on July 13, and he is now facing a felony charge that could bring a maximum penalty of $100,000 or 40 years imprisonment.

According to a criminal complaint:

Michael Ricardo Leviston, 57, from Hilbert, is accused of walking into the bank and handing a teller a note, then stating "I have a gun" and "Give me money."

As she started to remove money from a drawer, he allegedly told the teller that he was going to shoot her.

He walked out of the bank with a bag filled with $6,615.

An officer saw what appeared to be a black woman running on Mount Vernon Avenue. However, upon closer look, the officer realized it was a man wearing a dress and wig. The officer got out of his patrol car and ran after the Leviston. During the chase, Leviston lost his wig and dropped a bag, which held the money.

As he was being arrested, a crumpled piece of paper with "bank robbery" written on it and the bag of cash were recovered.