Josiah Ronnell Lewis, ATM Robbery, Kansas 2021

KANSAS CITY, MO – Josiah Ronnell Lewis, a 44-year-old resident of Grandview, Missouri, has admitted to illegally possessing a firearm, a charge stemming from a federal investigation into a string of brazen ATM robberies across the state line in Overland Park, Kansas. Lewis, also known as “Joey,” entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, adding another layer to a mounting criminal record.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) uncovered the Ruger 9mm semi-automatic firearm during a search of Lewis’s residence. The discovery wasn’t an isolated incident. Agents also seized four improvised explosive devices, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, burglary tools, and clothing items eerily matching the attire worn during the failed ATM heists. This paints a picture of a calculated, if incompetent, criminal with a penchant for destruction.

Lewis’s attempted robberies weren’t just smash-and-grabs. On April 29, 2021, he and an accomplice targeted a Minit Mart convenience store on 135th Street in Overland Park. Lewis held the door open while his partner planted a device in the ATM. An explosion followed, gutting the machine but failing to reach the $25,000 inside. Surveillance footage captured both suspects in dark clothing, Lewis identifiable by his white-laced, white-soled shoes. A getaway car registered to Lewis’s wife further cemented his involvement. He then brazenly visited a nearby 7-Eleven, where a former parole officer positively identified him from the surveillance footage.

The duo struck again on July 4, 2021, this time at Maloney’s Sports Bar and Grill on West 79th Street in Overland Park. Lewis shattered a patio door with a rock and deployed another explosive device on the ATM. This blast not only destroyed the machine, containing roughly $2,440 (some of which was destroyed), but also damaged the bar’s interior. Once again, the attempt to steal money failed. The vehicle used in this incident matched the one from the Minit Mart robbery, and clothing worn by the suspect mirrored Lewis’s from the first attempted burglary.

Lewis’s criminal history is extensive. He already has three prior felony convictions for burglary of a motor vehicle, along with convictions for robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and theft. He was previously sentenced on November 15, 2022, to five years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to arson related to the Maloney’s burglary in Kansas. Now, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison without parole on this latest charge. The court will determine if this sentence will be served concurrently or consecutively to his existing prison term.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford is prosecuting the case, with the ATF leading the investigation. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at bringing together law enforcement at all levels to reduce violent crime. Lewis’s actions demonstrate a clear disregard for public safety and the law, and this conviction sends a message that such behavior will not be tolerated.

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