Armed Bank Robber Robert Mark Baron Gets 155 Months

TUCSON, Ariz. — A fake Uzi, a panicked teller, and a quick getaway didn’t save Robert Mark Baron, 54, from federal prison. On Dec. 19, 2016, Baron was sentenced to 155 months behind bars after pleading guilty to the armed robbery of a Bank of America branch in Tucson. The heist, carried out with a realistic-looking replica assault weapon, marked the collapse of a man already teetering on the edge of the law.

The crime unfolded on Feb. 23, 2015, when Baron stormed into the bank, brandishing what investigators later confirmed was a non-functional Uzi-style firearm. He demanded cash, and staff complied, handing over an undisclosed sum. Though the weapon wasn’t real, the threat was — and the federal government treated it as such. Baron fled the scene but didn’t get far.

Just one day after the robbery, Tucson police had him in custody. Surveillance footage, witness accounts, and his prior criminal footprint led investigators straight to him. Baron wasn’t just a suspect — he was a known quantity to federal authorities, already under supervised release for unlawfully carrying a shotgun in Utah.

That prior conviction came back to haunt him. U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson tacked on an additional 30 months for violating his federal supervision, ordering it to run consecutively with the 125-month armed robbery sentence. The result: 155 months of hard time with no early exit.

The investigation was a joint effort between the Tucson Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, blending local boots on the ground with federal muscle. Prosecution was led by Micah Schmit, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, who ensured Baron faced the full weight of federal law.

Baron’s case, logged under case numbers CR-15-0491-TUC-CKJ and CR-13-50156-001-TUC-CKJ, serves as a stark reminder: even a fake gun in a bank robbery triggers real-time consequences. RELEASE NUMBER: 2016-103_BARON. # # #

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