Ex-con, no writing skills, admits to bank robbery

Bank money, he guilty.

A grammatically challenged ex-con has admitted he robbed a TCF Bank in a Cub Foods in Fridley.

Joe Nathan Michael, 48, of Fridley, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Minneapolis to the heist on May 20, 2010, which briefly netted him almost $2,000.

According to the plea agreement:

Michael gave the teller a note that read "Give money, I gun," leaving her confused about what he wanted. He told her to give him all the money and not to push any buttons.

As the teller unlocked her cash drawer, Michael intimated that he was armed by putting his left hand in his jacket pocket.

She handed over $1,991, recorded bait bills and a concealed electronic tracking device.

Police, provided with a description, saw Michael standing at a nearby bus stop. Officers ordered him to take his hands out of his pocket and hit the ground. He refused, prompting the officers to take him down and cuff him. The money, bait bills and tracking device were found on him.

Michael's criminal history includes convictions in Minneapolis for felony robbery and felony domestic assault and gross misdemeanors for domestic assault and assault.