Ray Reco McNeary, Bank Robbery, Minnesota 2021

State: Minnesota
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/waite-park-man-charged-st-cloud-bank-robbery-hostage-situation" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A brazen bank robbery turned into an eight-hour hostage situation in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on May 6, 2021. According to court documents, Ray Reco McNeary, 35, entered a Wells Fargo Bank in St. Cloud and demanded that $60,000 in cash be taken from the vault and placed in a bank bag.

McNeary became enraged after the bank manager was unable to locate any accounts belonging to him. The bank manager activated the silent panic alarm, notifying law enforcement of a problem at the bank. Upon arrival, St. Cloud police officers learned that five employees of the bank were being held hostage by McNeary.

Multiple times throughout the incident, McNeary held a pair of scissors against the bank manager’s neck and back. FBI hostage negotiators spoke with McNeary repeatedly during the standoff. During the course of negotiations, four of the employees were allowed to leave the bank.

The standoff ended at approximately 10:24 p.m. when the bank manager fled the bank and law enforcement moved into the bank and arrested McNeary. McNeary is charged with one count of bank robbery, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp is prosecuting the case, which is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the St. Cloud Police Department. McNeary is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The charges against McNeary are a stark reminder of the dangers of bank robberies and the importance of law enforcement’s quick response in such situations.

Wells Fargo Bank, a St. Cloud financial institution, was the target of McNeary’s brazen crime. If convicted, McNeary faces a significant prison sentence, a stark reminder of the consequences of such crimes.

Related Federal Cases