GEORGE RICHARD GAUNT, Bank Robbery, Minnesota 2014

A string of bank robberies in Minnesota and two other states has led to a 12.5-year prison sentence for GEORGE RICHARD GAUNT, a 26-year-old man from Kentucky.

According to court documents, GAUNT robbed banks in Virginia, Iowa, and Minnesota using a black BB gun that looked like a real handgun. He intimidated bank employees with threatening notes and handed one teller a note that read, "I have a gun Give me $ No dye, trackers, or alarms I’ll kill everyone!"

On October 15, 2013, GAUNT robbed a bank in Eagle Lake, Minnesota, passing a threatening note that read, "I have a gun, this is no joke, I will kill you! Act normal, no alarms, trackers, or dye packs. PS this aint my first bank. So don’t make me kill again."

Later that day, law enforcement agents apprehended GAUNT with a BB gun and a bag containing approximately $7,472 in cash.

GAUNT pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison on November 5, 2014.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine Buzicky praised the efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors across three districts, saying, "This case is the result of successful efforts by law enforcement officers who worked together to apprehend a defendant who committed violent crimes across the country."

The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Eagle Lake Police Department, the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Waseca County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota.

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