John David Farnell, Bank Robbery, Missouri 2010

Fulton Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery in Missouri

A Fulton man has pleaded guilty to bank robbery, admitting to robbing five banks in Missouri. John David Farnell, 61, of Fulton, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth to the charge contained in a June 9, 2010, federal indictment.

Farnell is currently serving a federal prison sentence in a separate bank robbery case that was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Missouri. He pleaded guilty to stealing $11,540 from Excel Bank in Sedalia, Mo., on Aug. 10, 2009.

According to the indictment, Farnell entered the bank carrying a green gym bag in his left hand and immediately approached a teller. He set the bag on the counter, retrieved a black handgun that had a long barrel and wooden grip, pointed it at the teller and instructed her not to make a sound. He told the teller to give him twenties, fifties and hundreds.

Farnell admitted to law enforcement officers that he committed the robbery in Cuba and the robbery in Sedalia, as well as robbing BTC Bank in Chillicothe on Feb. 24, 2010. Farnell stated that he committed the robberies because of financial reasons, and admitted that he used the .357 magnum revolver recovered from his van during all of the robberies.

Farnell was sentenced in the Eastern District of Missouri on March 9, 2012, to 13 years and six months in federal prison without parole. Under federal statutes, Farnell is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the police departments of Sedalia, Chillicothe, El Dorado Springs, Rolla and Cuba, Mo.

Farnell’s crimes include robbing First Community National Bank in Cuba on April 29, 2010, and Commerce Bank in Moberly on March 13, 2009. He also robbed Town & Country Bank in Rolla on Dec. 18, 2009. Farnell pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.

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