Ex-cop, Bank Robber in Trouble Again

Jr. went from promising cop to bank robber.He was sent to federal prison in 1993 along with his bank-teller wife for what was then the largest bank heist ever in San Antonio, nearly $250,000, of which almost $90,000 was never recovered.His daring heist was the subject of magazine stories, a TV movie and a country ballad, "Desperate Times," by country singer .Now, he's in trouble again. Earlier this year, Nealy, 48, was indicted on federal charges of being a felon with a gun and impersonating a U.S. government agent.He was scheduled for trial last week, but Nealy's lawyer obtained a delay. Nealy is out of jail on bond.Former Assistant U.S. Attorney , who prosecuted Nealy and his wife in the robbery, described Nealy as "unflinching, confident, bold and arrogant, and cool — as in 'you can't get to me.'""He was certainly unlike many criminal defendants who are basically spineless cowards with no character or values," said Frels, who is now retired.Besides the new charges, investigators are looking into Nealy's business dealings — he runs LLC, which he claims is a transportation service — to see if he also performed security functions.People convicted of robbery are among felons barred from getting security licenses in Texas.An interesting aspect of his business came to light in November, during an encounter with the that led to the charges: He had been transporting state officials from Mexico around San Antonio, including a governor, according to public records. Information was not released about their identities or what Mexican states they were from.At the time, SAPD found Nealy in a car similar to unmarked police cruisers, and he was waiting for the men in the parking lot of Cowboys Dancehall.The car had emergency "take down" lights and a spotlight, the report said.Nealy was wearing an SAPD lanyard around his neck, and there was an SAPD baseball hat on the dashboard, the report said.Nealy also had a gold badge on his belt that read: "" and "Special Agent," the report said.And, he had a fully loaded Glock handgun in a holster in his waistband, and two lock-blade knives, the report added.The , Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives charged him in January after learning of his criminal past and that he was not a government agent.Nealy and his lawyer, , could not be reached for comment.Nicholas defended Nealy at trial for the 1991 bank robbery at a on Northeast Loop 410.At the time, Nealy, a Marine, had been with the SAPD for two years after a promising showing at his academy class, where he was president and graduated sixth in 1990.Nealy and his wife, , were convicted of pulling an "inside job" at her bank that included plans to flee to Mexico.Newspapers reported at the time that the jury found Nealy slipped in through a "man trap" door at the bank about 9 a.m. as Silvas and another teller opened for the day on Sept. 21, 1991.There were no eyewitnesses to Nealy being the man in the maintenance suit who slipped in, but the jury found he was that man and that he wore a ski mask and pointed a gun at the other teller, but not Silvas.The robber made off with $242,624, and just three hours after the holdup, Nealy went to the bank and identified himself to an FBI agent at the scene and asked if there were leads. Nealy, the agent claimed, said at the time that maybe the bank would hire him for security, and it did.The couple went on a honeymoon to the Cayman Islands three weeks after the heist. Around that time, Nealy's stepfather found $147,779 buried on his rural property near Pipe Creek. In that loot were 40 $100 bills wrapped with a rubber band and marked "Mexico Money."Silvas was sentenced to nearly 13 years. Nealy got 15."He never let on that he was affected by anything," Frels said. "He was like one of those mob guys, you know, 'If I go to prison, I go to prison.'"Last month, the feds filed a lien in Bexar County against Nealy, saying he still owes $84,838 in restitution from the robbery.