DAYTON, OH – Michael Stathas, 33, of Dayton, is looking at a lengthy stretch behind bars after admitting to robbing two banks in Montgomery County within a week. The brazen robberies left tellers shaken and culminated in a high-speed chase before Stathas was finally apprehended.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman for the Southern District of Ohio, alongside FBI Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Stathas pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, effectively ending any pretense of innocence in the pair of late December heists.
The first robbery occurred December 23rd at a Fifth Third Bank in Kettering, Ohio. According to the Statement of Facts, Stathas didn’t bother with subtlety, jumping the teller counter and immediately deploying pepper spray against the terrified teller. He then proceeded to stuff cash from the teller’s station into a bag before making his escape. Less than a week later, on December 29th, Stathas repeated the performance at a Key Bank in Centerville, Ohio, again vaulting the counter and pilfering cash.
This time, however, Stathas’s getaway didn’t go as smoothly. He fled in his vehicle, quickly attracting the attention of local law enforcement. Marked police cruisers initiated a traffic stop, but Stathas responded by flooring it, leading officers on a high-speed pursuit that ended only when he crashed his car near Moraine, Ohio. The chase added attempted flight from police to his growing list of offenses.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys have reached a plea agreement recommending a sentence of 105 months – nearly nine years – in federal prison. While Judge Rice isn’t bound by the recommendation, it signals a likely outcome for the Dayton man. The recommended sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and the danger posed to bank employees and the public.
U.S. Attorney Glassman praised the swift work of the FBI and Assistant United States Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi in securing the guilty plea. The investigation highlights the continued commitment of federal agencies to cracking down on violent crime and holding offenders accountable. A sentencing hearing date has not yet been scheduled.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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