Noah Bradley Lester, 64, Gets 262 Months for Bank Robberies

Noah Bradley Lester, 64, of Farmers Branch, Texas, walked into two Dallas banks on April 17, 2015, and walked out with cash, fear, and a criminal record that now stretches into his 80s. Today, U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle slammed the career offender with 262 months in federal prison after Lester pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery — crimes committed while he was already on supervised release for a prior federal bank robbery conviction.

At around noon that day, Lester entered the BB&T Bank at 3550 Forest Lane in Dallas and scribbled a demand note. When a bank employee approached, he fled — abandoning the note but not the plan. Minutes later, he walked into the Capital One Bank at 2903 Forest Lane, handed a teller a note demanding money, and lifted his shirt to reveal what appeared to be a firearm — later identified as an airsoft pistol. The teller, terrified and believing her life was in danger, handed over cash. Lester vanished — but not for long.

By the time federal agents caught up with him, Lester was back at his home in Farmers Branch. Arrested later that same day, he had no alibi, no denial — just a long history of choosing crime over freedom. The airsoft gun may not have fired live rounds, but the threat was real, the fear was real, and the consequences are now locked in stone.

This isn’t Lester’s first fall from grace. In 1993, he pleaded guilty to bank robbery in the Northern District of Texas and was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison. That stretch was supposed to be a lifetime lesson. Instead, it became a temporary timeout. At the time of the 2015 robberies, he was still under federal supervision — a condition he shattered with his return to armed theft.

Judge Jane Boyle showed no leniency. She sentenced Lester to 262 months for the two bank robberies and an additional 36 months for violating his supervised release — the terms to run concurrently. The message was clear: repeat offenders who weaponize fear will pay in years behind bars.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, unraveling the timeline in hours and closing the case within a day. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Robinson prosecuted, ensuring that a man who twice chose to rob banks would not walk free again. For the teller who handed over cash fearing for her life, today’s sentence brings a measure of justice — long overdue, but finally delivered.