A former bureaucrat in Winnipeg has pleaded guilty to seven bank robberies, crimes which apparently helped pay for his posh double life in Seattle.

Klaus Burlakow admitted on Thursday to seven armed bank robberies, six in Winnipeg and one in Vancouver, all occurring this past winter.

Burlakow had been an events planner with the City of Winnipeg and helped organize the 1999 Pan-American Games.

Klaus Burlakow

The CBC has learned that Burlakow had led a double life in Seattle, posing as an Irish millionaire.

He spent half of last year in the U.S. city, staying in the best hotels and renting luxury cars and a houseboat on Lake Union. His expensive dual life is likely what prompted the crime spree.

Burlakow also developed a relationship with a woman in Washington, Cathy Taylor, who said she was stunned and frightened to hear about Burlakow's bank robberies and double life.

"I want to know where did I go wrong in my character judgment? What about this person is real?" she wondered.

Burlakow's wife, who attended the hearing, said she hoped some answers would come out during the trial.

Burlakow will be sentenced this summer. He faces up to 30 years in a federal prison.