KING

An armored car sits outside a Bank of America branch in Monroe, Wash. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008. Police say a man tried to rob the car, then jumped into a creek that led to the Skykomish River.

MONROE, Wash. – A man suspected of using Craigslist to recruit unsuspecting decoys to block his escape on an inner tube after robbing an armored car has been charged.

Anthony Curcio of Lake Stevens was charged in U.S. District Court on Tuesday with one count of interfering with commerce. Investigators say he sprayed an armored car guard in the face with pepper spray on Sept. 30, made off with $400,000, then hopped on a yellow inner tube and escaped down Woods Creek.

At the time of the robbery, investigators say the crook had planned ahead. In case anyone was hot on his trail, he had at least a dozen unsuspecting decoys waiting nearby whom he allegedly recruited on Craigslist.

"I came across the ad that was for a prevailing wage job for $28.50 an hour," said Mike, who saw the ad looking for workers for a road maintenance project in Monroe.

He said he inquired and was e-mailed back with instructions to meet near the Bank of America in Monroe. He also was told to wear certain work clothing. The robber allegedly wore similar clothing.

The FBI says it cracked the case when agents learned that about two weeks before the robbery, a homeless man called 911 to report that he found a can of Mace, a wig and a two-way radio behind a trash bin nearby. When a man came to retrieve the items, the homeless man wrote down the license plate number of his car.