St. Joseph Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Two Bank Robberies
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 30, 2010 |
KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a St. Joseph, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for two bank robberies.
Michael Sandgren, 45, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ortrie D. Smith on Sept. 17, 2010, to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On Feb. 12, 2010, Sandgren pleaded guilty to two bank robberies—one in which he used a note, and the second in which he used a firearm—and to one count of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
On July 9, 2009, Sandgren stole $2,510 from Midwest Federal Savings Bank, 1901 Frederick Ave., in St. Joseph. Sandgren admitted that he placed a handwritten demand note on a teller’s counter, then fled from the bank after receiving the money.
On Aug. 4, 2009, Sandgren, armed with a handgun, stole $3,355 from Goppert Financial Bank, 710 Oak St., in Lathrop, Missouri. Sandgren admitted that he approached a bank teller sitting at a desk, placed his pistol on the desk, and demanded money. When the teller placed money from her cash drawer on the desk, Sandgren grabbed the money and fled from the bank.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Joseph, Missouri, Police Department, the Buchanan County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department and the Clinton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.