The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jeffrey Townsley, age 43, of Luzerne County, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by United States District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy to 151 months’ imprisonment for bank robbery.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Townsley engaged in an 18-day crime spree beginning on December 24, 2013 and ending on January 10, 2014. The crime spree included two robberies of the First National Community Bank (branches in Kingston and Hanover Township), and seven robberies of various local businesses. Townsley previously entered guilty pleas to all charges filed in a criminal information on June 18, 2014.

For each robbery, Townsley used a black pellet gun that mirrored the look of a 9mm handgun as a threat of force and to instill fear in his victims. Townsley was arrested on January 13, 2014 and has remained in custody in the Lackawanna County Prison.

The charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of many local police departments including Kingston, Kingston Township, Larksville, Hanover Township, Wilkes-Barre, Plains, Ashley, and Luzerne County District Attorney Detectives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.