Rockford Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Banks in Rockford and Belvidere

ROCKFORD — A federal judge has sentenced a Rockford man to a total of 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks in Rockford and Belvidere in 2021, and for violating his terms of supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the sentence on Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

DEMONTRION DESHAN PHILLIPS, 29, was convicted after a jury trial in November 2022 of stealing $5,930 in a robbery of Midland States Bank, 1700 N. Alpine Rd. in Rockford, on Apr. 7, 2021, and $4,408 in a robbery of Midland States Bank, 600 S. State St. in Belvidere, on May 3, 2021.  Phillips committed the robberies while on court-supervised release following a prior federal conviction for robbing two banks in Rockford in 2017.

Phillips received an additional 24-month sentence for committing the robberies while on court-supervised release for his prior bank robbery conviction.

The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.; Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department; and Shane Woody, Chief of the Belvidere Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Talia Bucci and Vincenza L. Tomlinson.