Glens Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Nelson L. Gouge, age 47, of Glens Falls, New York, pled guilty today to bank robbery as his jury trial was set to begin.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI);  and Warren County Sheriff Nathan “Bud” York.

As part of his plea, Gouge admitted that on January 12, 2018, at approximately 1 p.m., he walked into the Trustco Bank branch on Route 9L in Lake George, New York, after attempting to conceal his face by use of a neck warmer.  Gouge went to a line where a bank employee was standing, put a hard, black case on the counter and handed the employee a note that read, “I Have a weapon this is a robbery Just put all the money in the bag think about you and your employees + friends.”  The bank employee did not have a drawer of money at her station, so she went to another station and took money out of the drawer.  The employee turned back to her station where the defendant was holding a bag.  The employee put money in the bag and Gouge left with $4,301.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Department quickly identified Gouge as a suspect and arrested him that night in South Glens Falls, New York.

Gouge faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on February 7, 2020.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, New York State Police, Warren County District Attorney’s Office, and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer.