KC Bank Robber Gets 6+ Years in Federal Prison

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Another piece of the Kansas City criminal underbelly has been caged. Rathell Quavon Ross, 28, received a 77-month federal sentence this week for his role in a brazen bank robbery, adding to the growing list of felons locked up as part of the federal initiative, Operation Take Back America.

U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips handed down the sentence, following the earlier conviction of Ross’s accomplice, Gerrad D. Rivera-Willis, who received a 72-month sentence on April 22, 2025, for the same crime. The pair targeted a Kansas City bank, terrorizing employees and making off with $2,033 in cash.

According to court documents, the duo arrived at the bank in a vehicle that law enforcement quickly flagged as also being used in a prior bank heist. They stormed the bank, made their demands, and fled with the stolen funds in the same vehicle. It wasn’t long before officers spotted the vehicle and a foot chase ensued. Ross, attempting to evade capture, was found hiding under a tarp, clutching the keys to the getaway car.

Rivera-Willis didn’t fare much better. A K-9 unit tracked his escape route, leading officers to $2,033 in stolen currency stashed under a cinder block near his arrest location. The evidence was damning. Rivera-Willis confessed to involvement in the previous bank robbery, and was ordered to pay $8,542 in restitution for that offense.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley prosecuted the case, a collaborative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. The prosecution successfully demonstrated the pair’s deliberate and dangerous actions, securing convictions and lengthy sentences.

This case falls under the umbrella of Operation Take Back America, a sweeping federal program designed to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and combat violent crime. It’s a clear message from the Department of Justice: Kansas City is not a safe haven for criminals, and those who prey on our communities will face the full weight of the law. The operation combines resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), signaling a coordinated and aggressive approach to crime fighting.

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