Man Pleads Guilty to Modesto and Stockton Bank Robberies

SACRAMENTO, CA—Troy Foster Mitchell, 47, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to two counts of bank robbery.

According to court documents, on May 14, 2013, while on supervised release after serving a prison term for a previous conviction, Mitchell entered the Valley First Credit Union in Modesto and passed a note to the bank teller demanding $5,000 in cash. The teller complied with the demand, and while she was doing so, another teller, recognizing Mitchell, walked by and said, “Hi, Troy.” Mitchell acknowledged her and departed the credit union with $5,000 in cash.

Mitchell had filed an auto loan application with the bank on April 3, 2013, that included a copy of his driver’s license. Immediately following the robbery, a bank employee retrieved the application and gave it to the Modesto Police Department. Surveillance photos of the robber were consistent with Mitchell’s driver’s license photo. The application and driver’s license in the file listed Mitchell’s home address.

According to the plea agreement, on May 31, 2013, Mitchell entered the Bank of the West in Stockton and passed a note to the bank teller demanding all the $100 bills without a dye pack. The teller gave Mitchell $5,114. Mitchell departed the bank, leaving the demand note behind. The demand note was written on the back of a voided paycheck made out to Troy F. Mitchell and listed Mitchell’s home address.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Modesto Police Department, and the Stockton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sherry D. Hartel Haus is prosecuting the case.

Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton on January 7, 2014. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release on each count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.