Cops Bag Bank Robber Who Made Epic Prison Escape

joseph banks kenneth conley escape captured

Joseph Banks (left) is back in custody. Kenneth Conley is still on the loose.

Joseph Banks, one of two bank robbers who pulled off an epic jailbreak in downtown Chicago this week, is back behind bars after cops bagged him in the city.

On Tuesday, Banks and fellow bank robber Kenneth Conley climbed 20 stories down a knotted-bedsheet rope after squeezing out a 6-inch window. They caught a cab around 3 a.m. and were spotted at Conley’s mom’s house.

Local and FBI officers launched a massive manhunt and finally caught Banks around 11:30 p.m. Thursday. Conley is still on the loose.

Banks, known as the Second Hand Bandit because he dressed in shabby clothes and a fake beard during his many heists, stole a total of $589,000, according to police. Because just $56,000 of that haul has been recovered, cops think he may have had access to half-a-million dollars. He was to be sentenced March 26 and once told a judge “You’ll hear from me!”