Wichita Man Charged with Bank Robbery
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 05, 2013 |
WICHITA—A Wichita man has been charged with bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Billy L. Wilson, 52, Wichita, Kansas, is charged with one count of bank robbery. A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita alleges that on March 1, Wilson robbed the Commerce Bank at 456 N. Main in Wichita. The complaint alleges that Wilson entered the bank about 10:20 a.m. on March 1. He handed a teller a demand note saying, “This is a robbery. I have a gun. Give me the money,” or words to that effect.
After bank surveillance photos of the robbery were made public, police received a tip that the robber was known from participating in a drug recovery program. On March 1, officers of the Wichita Police Department tracked the robber to a residence in the 800 block of South Hydraulic but he was not at home. They called his cellular phone number. Later in the day, he turned himself in at the Sedgwick County Jail.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and fine up to $250,000. The Wichita Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.