Minneapolis Man Sentenced for Robbing St. Paul Bank

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, a 55-year-old Minneapolis man was sentenced for robbing a St. Paul bank. United States District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced Michael Lewis Johnson to 30 months in prison on one count of bank robbery. Johnson was indicted on April 20, 2011, and pleaded guilty on June 16, 2011. In his plea agreement, Johnson admitted stealing $4,255 from the Wells Fargo Bank at 2145 Ford Parkway.

According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, a man, later identified as Johnson, walked into the Wells Fargo bank at 4:00 p.m. on April 5, 2011. He stood next to the kiosk where customers fill out bank forms for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then, he approached a teller, handed her a note, and said, “We’ve got a problem here.” The note, which was written on an ATM deposit envelope, stated, “you’re being robbed.” He instructed the teller to place money on the counter, which the teller did.

The robber then flipped through the stacks of money before putting them in a plastic shopping bag and walking out the bank. Video surveillance at the bank and nearby businesses recorded the robber. Those surveillance tapes were used to identify Johnson, who was arrested on April 6, 2011, at his residence. During the execution of a search warrant at Johnson’s home, police seized cash in the basement as well as clothing that matched what was worn by the robber.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Minneapolis Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew S. Dunne and Bahram Samie.