James G. Madison (born 1956/57), known popularly as the Mad Hatter, is a convicted American criminal. He robbed 17 banks of $81,000, each time wearing a different hat. His hats included a hunting cap, a knit ski cap, a St. Louis Cardinals cap and a Texas Longhorns cap.[1]
Madison graduated from Chatham High School in 1975.[2]
A machinist from Maplewood, New Jersey, Madison previously spent 18 years in state prison after murdering a friend and dumping her body in the Passaic River. He was paroled in 2003.[1]
On July 17, 2007, after robbing the Bank of America in Union Township, New Jersey, Madison was arrested in Newark, New Jersey after police tracked his car license plates.[3][4] On September 11, 2007, Madison pleaded guilty to six counts of bank robbery.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Schweber, Nat (September 12, 2007). "After Change of Heart, a Guilty Plea in New Jersey Bank Robberies". New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ Staff. "Hat Bandit faces Jan. 24 sentencing", The Star-Ledger, January 3, 2008. Accessed October 1, 2019. "The 1975 Chatham High School graduate known as the Hat Bandit following a string of bank robberies will be sentenced Jan. 24, according to a report in the Daily Record."
- ^ "amw.com - James Madison - Fugitive". Archived from the original on 2007-07-24.
- ^ "'mad Hatter' Bank Robber Arrested, Identified". 23 July 2007.