Albuquerque Man Sentenced to 58 Months in Prison for Armed Robbery of Rio Rancho Bank

ALBUQUERQUE—Earlier today a federal judge in Santa Fe sentenced Steven Bernardoni, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to a 58-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for his armed bank robbery conviction. Bernardoni also was ordered to pay full restitution to the victim of his criminal conduct.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Bernardoni pled guilty to robbing the Bank of Albuquerque located at 3901 Southern Blvd., Rio Rancho, New Mexico, on November 4, 2011. He has been in federal custody since that date.

According to the criminal complaint, Bernardoni walked into the bank, vaulted the teller counter, entered the secure area, pointed a handgun at the tellers, and verbally demanded money. The tellers complied, and Bernardoni vaulted the teller counter and exited the bank. Officers of the Rio Rancho Police Department immediately arrived on scene and observed a male subject fitting the description of the robber exit the bank carrying a light-colored cloth bag that was covered in dye material. After a brief foot chase, the subject was taken into custody and later identified as Steven Bernardoni. Bernardoni was transported to the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, where he confessed to robbing the bank.

In his plea agreement, Bernardoni admitted robbing the bank by brandishing a firearm and intimidating three bank tellers into giving him a large amount of currency.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Rio Rancho Police Department and was being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Barth.