By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN —He may have terrified his victims, but the "Bouquet Bandit" also wanted to thank them.
The accused robber, arrested last week, told the Daily News he had good manners — even while he was taking part in a series of bank heists.
And he said he handed blooms to his victims because he wanted to show his gratitude for their cooperation.
"The flowers show I'm polite," said Edward Pemberton, who also worked as a flower delivery man, according to the News. "I'm a good person."
He continued, "The flowers were thank-yous to people who were giving me something that didn't belong to them, and didn't belong to me either."
Pemberton faces robbery charges for holding up six banks in the New York area - after which he gave the frightened tellers bouquets.
But he told the News that since his arrest he never wanted to see flowers again.
Pemberton was busted after his fingerprints were lifted from one of the bouquets he gave to a teller in a July 15 robbery.
"They're the thing that did me in," he said. "They're bad memories now."
He is being held on $250,000 bail, his lawyer, Justine Longo told the Associated Press.
She agreed with Pemberton’s claims that he was extraordinarily polite despite his long rap sheet.
She said her client had been “a gentleman throughout” the case.
Even after confessing to police, he still showed his manners, the News reported.
"Tell my family I love them," he said.
"Tell my victims I'm sorry."
