Malcolm Lorenzo Jones, 21, opened fire inside a KeyBank on Springdale Road in Cincinnati, unleashing chaos when an off-duty police officer walked in behind him during the heist. Jones had just brandished a black revolver, ordering employees and customers to the ground on May 22, 2017, when the officer drew his weapon and demanded surrender. Instead, Jones raised his gun and fired first—sparking a violent gunfight inside the bank.
As bullets ripped through the air, Jones vaulted over the counter, dodging rounds while returning fire. Struck at least once, he and co-defendant Nelson Jones, 26, fled on foot with $3,480. The shootout marked the violent peak of a string of armed robberies terrorizing Cincinnati in May and June 2017. Both men are now facing life behind bars after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court.
Nelson Jones had already committed two other armed heists. On May 13, 2017, he brandished a firearm at North Side Bank and Trust on St. Gregory St., where Hope Tolbert, 21, grabbed nearly $6,000 from open cash drawers. Tolbert pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery, while Nelson Jones admitted to two counts of using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
The crew struck again on June 20, 2017, when Jones and Marquez Peterson, 22—armed with a pistol—robbed Wes Banco on Vine Street. Joy Favors, 23, acted as the scout, entering the bank minutes before to assess security and layout. She returned to the getaway car and briefed the two gunmen. Nearly $10,700 was stolen. Peterson pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Favors copped to conspiracy to use a firearm during a violent crime.
Under federal law, armed bank robbery carries up to 25 years in prison. Discharging a firearm during a crime of violence? That’s 10 years to life—mandatory consecutive sentencing. A second such charge? 25 years to life, stacked on top. All five defendants now face decades behind bars, their fates sealed by their own guilty pleas.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman, FBI Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers, and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac confirmed the pleas, praising the joint investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Springer is prosecuting. The message is clear: pull a gun during a robbery in Cincinnati, and the feds will put you away for life.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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