Bank robber faces up to 50 years in prison

The suspect in the robbery of a Milford credit union, as well as banks elsewhere in Michigan and Illinois, was sentenced to 18 months to 50 years in prison in Oakland County Circuit Court on Thursday, Sept. 20.

Carlos M. Vilanova, 48, was found guilty on Aug. 30 on one count of bank robbery for his theft of money from the Community Choice Credit Union on Milford Road on July 11.

His trial was held in front of Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Nanci J. Grant.

Vilanova was arrested after he passed a note to a Community Choice Credit Union employee saying that he was armed before leaving the bank with several hundred dollars.

No weapon was discovered and no one at the credit union was injured.

Vilanova is a Highland Township resident who was working in Ann Arbor. He is also facing charges of robbery in Green Oak Township, as well as several other bank robberies in Illinois. He is a former Chicago resident.

Officers from the Milford Police Department and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Fugitive Apprehension Team arrested Vilanova on July 30 shortly after obtaining a warrant from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office earlier in the day.

Vilanova was previously arraigned in 52-1 District Court in Novi and bound over to Circuit Court for trial.