Two Kansas City Men Indicted for Armed Bank Robbery

KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Kansas City, Missouri men were indicted by a federal grand jury today for the armed robbery of Commerce Bank.

Kortlin D. Hughes, 21, and Samuel A. Washington, 22, both of Kansas City, were charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri.

Today’s indictment alleges that Hughes and Washington used firearms to rob the Commerce Bank branch at 8901 State Line Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 15, 2012. The indictment also charges Hughes and Washington with one count of brandishing firearms during a crime of violence.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Hughes and Washington both carried handguns when they entered the bank at approximately 9:30 a.m. One of the men jumped over the teller counter and took money from one of the teller drawers. At one point, the affidavit says, he pointed a gun at a customer and in the face of a bank employee. He also allegedly put a gun up to a teller’s neck and said, “Do you want to die? Where’s the money?” He jumped back over the counter and met the second robber who had stayed in the lobby, and both robbers left the bank. The bank reported a loss of $6,922.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Y. Tabor. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available online at http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/index.html.