Waterloo Bank Robber Sentenced to Prison

Had 47 Prior Convictions for Various Crimes

A Waterloo bank robber with a long and violent criminal history was sentenced March 4, 2020, to more than 17 years in federal prison.

Steven Lee Sisk, age 55, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 25, 2019 guilty plea to bank robbery.

Evidence at sentencing showed that in 2017, Sisk robbed a bank in Waterloo, Iowa.  He took $2,389 from a teller after pointing what appeared to be a gun at her face.  At the time of sentencing, Sisk had accumulated 47 prior convictions for various crimes.  These convictions include willful injury causing bodily injury, domestic assault with intent to cause serious injury, burglary, fraud practices, assault, theft, delivery of cocaine, interference with official acts, possession of controlled substances, and multiple other crimes.

Sisk was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Sisk was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $2,389 in restitution to the bank.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Sisk is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by Waterloo Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Tri-County Drug Task Force, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.