A man with several bank robberies on his record has been charged with armed robbery following an alleged Auburn bank robbery he committed while unmasked and wearing an orange traffic safety vest.

On June 16, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) charged Michael Peter Esposito, 63, whose last known address was in Kent, with first-degree robbery, stemming from an alleged May 13 incident where he robbed Umpqua Bank, 4191 A St. SE., Auburn, at gunpoint. According to charging documents, Esposito obtained $1,130 from the robbery.

According to documents, in 2001, Esposito was arrested in Buffalo, N.Y., and Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, for bank robbery. He also has four first-degree robbery convictions from 2009 and one second-degree robbery conviction from 2018 on his record. According to documents, several of the 2009 robberies stemmed from Seattle incidents.

According to the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention jail lookup portal, Esposito is currently held at the King County Correctional Facility on a $750,000 bail. Esposito’s next court appearance is an arraignment on June 30, where an initial plea is entered.

Details of the case

According to documents, at about 11:25 a.m. May 13, officers were dispatched to a silent panic alarm at Umpqua Bank. Dispatch told officers that a robbery had just occurred at the bank, and the suspect fled on foot.

According to documents, the bank teller stated that the suspect, who was described as an about 60-year-old white male wearing a hat, glasses and an orange vest, but no mask, entered the bank holding a black handgun in his left hand. The teller said that the suspect then pointed the handgun at her, demanding that she give him the $100 and $50 bills from her drawer. Additionally, she said the suspect told the teller that he would shoot her if she did not comply.

Documents stated that an officer with a K9 unit attempted to locate the suspect, and during the search, an orange vest was found near the trash area behind the close-by Wingstop restaurant. After reviewing surveillance footage from the area, it appeared that the suspect would have traveled through that area while fleeing, documents stated.

According to documents, on May 20, officers then received a voicemail from someone who believed the suspect was Esposito and knew where he lived. Officers then retrieved pictures of Esposito from jail images and driver’s license photos, and found that they resembled the suspect.

Additionally, a Department of Corrections (DOC) officer who had supervised Esposito stated that he was 90% certain the man in the photos was Esposito. The bank teller who was held at gunpoint was then given a photo lineup with Esposito’s face in it, and she stated that she was 50% to 60% sure that the photo of Esposito was the suspect.

On June 12, officers then tracked Esposito down and arrested him in Kent. On Esposito, they found a bag that resembled one held by the bank robbery suspect, and inside it was a firearm. Additionally, Esposito was wearing the same color shoes as the bank robbery suspect.