Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Tonawanda Bank Robbery

Armed with fake guns and nerves of steel, Nicholas Graham, 45, of Buffalo, NY, drove two masked accomplices to an Evans Bank in Tonawanda and helped pull off a cold-blooded robbery on January 8, 2016. Graham admitted in federal court that he served as lookout and getaway driver during the heist, a role that now carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Graham pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph P. Geraci, Jr., capping a swift FBI and local police investigation. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Adler, Graham dropped off the two robbers at the bank around 5:45 p.m. in a 2007 Infiniti. He stayed behind the wheel, eyes scanning the lot while the duo stormed inside, dressed in matching dark tan hooded jackets, baseball caps, masks, and tan pants.

Inside the bank, the masked men pointed BB guns at employees and customers, the weapons indistinguishable from real pistols under the fluorescent lights. “Get down so nobody gets hurt,” they barked, terrorizing patrons while scooping cash from the teller drawers. The entire ordeal lasted minutes, but the psychological toll lingered long after they vanished into the evening.

Law enforcement traced the crew to the Scottish Inn Motel on Niagara Falls Boulevard. Graham was apprehended on site. Inside the room, officers recovered stacks of cash, the robbers’ clothing, the BB guns, receipts proving the weapons were bought days earlier, and multiple identification cards linking the suspects to the crime.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen, alongside the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, directed by Chief Jerome C. Uschold. Their joint efforts dismantled the plot within days, using surveillance, forensic evidence, and witness statements to build an airtight case against Graham and his accomplices.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 20, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Geraci. While Graham avoided trial by pleading guilty, the court will weigh the full brutality of the crime when determining his final sentence. For now, the message is clear: even if you don’t step inside the bank, driving the wheel of a robbery still lands you behind bars.

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