Des Moines Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robberies

June 28, 2010 - Ray Edward Lee, 51, of Des Moines, Iowa, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of bank robbery in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on June 24, 2010, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. In a plea proceeding before United States Judge James E. Gritzner, Lee pleaded guilty to robbing the U.S.Bank, Skywalk Branch, Des Moines, on October 27, 2009, and the U.S. Bank, Euclid Bank, Euclid Branch , Des Moines, on October 28, 2007.

According to the written plea agreement, Lee used a note in both banks which stated “I am armed”, even though he did not have a firearm. The plea provides that by taking the currency from the banks under such circumstances, Lee committed the robberies by force, violence, and intimidation.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2010, before Judge Gritzner. Lee and the government have agreed upon a sentence of twenty years which still requires approval of the Court. Lee is also subject to a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release after service of the sentence of imprisonment imposed, and an assessment of $200 to the Crime Victims Fund.

This case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.