Minneapolis Man Sentenced for Attempting to Rob Burnsville Bank

March 5, 2010 - A 37-year-old Minneapolis man was sentenced today in federal court in St. Paul for attempting to rob Associated Bank of Burnsville on July 16, 2009. United States District Court Judge Donovan Frank sentenced Carnovsky Deshawn Franklin to 18 months in prison on one count of attempted bank robbery. Franklin was indicted on August 11, 2009, and pled guilty on October 30, 2009.

In his plea agreement, Franklin admitted casing both Associated Bank in Burnsville and a Wells Fargo bank in south Minneapolis. He determined the Burnsville bank would be easier to rob because it had fewer employees and guards. Franklin was arrested at 1:30 p.m. on July 16, 2009, as he approached the Burnsville bank. At that time, authorities found in his possession a demand note he had written earlier, an empty plastic bag, and a pair of gloves. According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed in the case, law enforcement had begun surveillance of Franklin earlier, after learning he was planning to rob three or four banks.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Burnsville Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen.