Ronnie Leibowitz

Infobox Criminal
subject_name = Rony Leibovitz

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date_of_birth = August 24, 1954
place_of_birth = Israel
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Rony Leibovitz ( _he. רוני ליבוביץ) is a former Israeli bank robber, nicknamed Ofnobank (a combination of the words "motorcycle" and "bank" in Hebrew), due to his theft methods. In English he is often called the Motorcycle Bandit.

During the year 1990, Ronnie Leibowitz robbed 21 bank branches, mostly in the Tel Aviv area, by using a motorcycle (an Italian Moto Guzzi) to enter and escape banks, and then hiding the motorcycle in a truck that was prepared for that purpose in advance. The Israel Police investigators, searching for a runaway motorcycle and not a truck, were unable to locate him. The mass media "crowned" him as the "Motorcycle Bandit". Only after 21 robberies took place, Leibowitz was caught by police.

When questioned, Leibowitz admitted to all his bank robberies and cooperated fully with his police investigators. Just a few days after his capture, he returned all the robbed money. The district court sentenced him to 20 years in prison, but after Leibowitz appealed to the supreme court, his sentence was reduced to 14 years (after the prosecution agreed to this reduction as well and he ended up serving 8 years).

The verdict

In his verdict, the deputy president of the Supreme Court of Israel, the Hon. Menachem Elon stated his considerations for the sentence reduction:

At the time of the robberies, Ronny Leibowitz was one of the most popular figures in Israel by mocking the banks and the police.