Bismarck Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 16, 2011 |
BISMARCK—United States Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on September 16, 2011, Ruben P. Slater, 33, of Bismarck, North Dakota, pleaded guilty to a charge of bank robbery in United States District Court.
On April 14, 2011, at approximately 9:00 a.m., Slater entered Gate City Bank, 1017 South Broadway, Minot, North Dakota, and handed a teller a note which said, “This is a robbery, 20’s and 50’s quick and no one gets hurt.” Slater was given money and he left the bank. A bank employee was able to get the license plate number of the car that Slater drove away. The vehicle was located and stopped at approximately 9:30 a.m., east of Minot. Slater was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was in possession of the stolen money.
The charge of bank robbery carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minot Police Department, and the Surrey Police Department.
Sentencing for Slater has been scheduled for December 12, 2011, in United States District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, at 10:00 a.m.
Assistant United States Attorney David Hagler is prosecuting the case.