Portland Man Sentenced to 114 Months for Armed Bank Robbery

Portland, Ore.—Mahmoud Ibrahim Gilani, 32, of Portland, was sentenced today to 114 months in federal prison for an armed bank robbery that occurred in Portland on June 5, 2007.  U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty imposed a mandatory seven-year (84-month) term for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and a consecutive 30-month term for the robbery, for a total of 114 months.  Gilani has been in federal custody since the day of the robbery.

The robbery occurred at the Rose City Branch of Bank of America, located inside a Safeway store at 6901 NE Sandy Boulevard.  Gilani pointed a pistol at tellers and customers, pulled back the gun’s slide, and demanded money.  He received $6,903.00 in cash and fled from the building.  Portland police officers apprehended Gilani driving alone in a car a short distance away.  In a pants pocket they found a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, loaded with a round chambered.  Investigation showed that Gilani had robbed the same bank on April 27, 2007.

Gilani is a citizen of Ethiopia.  Upon completion of the prison sentence, immigration authorities will determine whether he is allowed to remain in the United States.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen F. Peifer.