Two Cleveland Residents Indicted on Bank Robbery Charges

A grand jury returned a five-count indictment charging Richard Michael Persa and Matthew J. Holland, both of Cleveland, with bank robbery and aiding and abetting bank robbery, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today.

The indictment alleges that on the following dates, Persa, 29, and Holland, 30, used force, violence, and intimidation to rob the following banks: US Bank at 2132 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, of $3,703 on November 13, 2010; Key Bank at 6300 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, of $1,760 on December 15, 2010; Fifth Third Bank at 7414 Broadview Road, Parma, of $5,145 on December 22, 2010; and Key Bank at 3370 West 117th Street, Cleveland, of $5,070 on December 30, 2010.

Count 2 of the indictment changes that on or about December 8, 2010, Persa used force, violence, and intimidation to rob the US Bank at 200 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio, of $2,219.

If convicted, each defendant's sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Tripi, following investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.