Jury Finds Serial Bank Robber Guilty of 2023 Bank Robbery Following Two-Day Federal Trial

FLORENCE, S.C. —John Henry Stack, 76, of Myrtle Beach, was convicted of bank robbery following a two-day jury trial in federal court. Stack was on supervised release from previous federal bank robbery convictions.

Evidence presented by the Government at trial established that just before 1 p.m. on March 10, 2023, Stack entered the Anderson Brothers Bank in Aynor, placed a pillowcase on the teller’s counter, and pulled from his pocket a long-handled lighter.  Stack concealed the lighter under his hand to look like a gun, pointed it at the teller, and demanded money. When the teller complied, placing $2,130 in cash in the pillowcase, Stack took the pillowcase of money and left the bank.  Just before entering the bank, Stack changed clothes, placing a blue medical scrub shirt over his black jacket. He also wore a winter hat, sunglasses, and a medical-style mask during the robbery.

In the hours following the robbery, local, state, and federal law enforcement worked together to identify and apprehend the robber.  Law enforcement identified the vehicle the robber drove to and from the robbery as a Ford Focus with significant passenger side damage.  About 10 p.m. on March 10, an officer with Myrtle Beach Police Department stopped the Focus.  Stack was driving the car, and officers found a parking hang tag for a nearby hotel hanging from the car’s rearview mirror.  Records at the hotel showed Stack had rented a room that afternoon and paid in cash. 

Law enforcement searched the Focus and the hotel room and found clothing consistent with that worn by Stack during the robbery, including a blue medical scrub shirt, pillowcases like the one Stack placed on the teller’s counter, a bag that contained Stack’s medications and $765 in cash, and a red long-handled lighter.

Following the stop on the Ford, Stack confessed to law enforcement that he robbed the bank. He detailed for them how he robbed the bank, what he wore while robbing the bank, and explained that he concealed the lighter under his hand to make it look like a gun and “fake out” the teller, so that she would hand over the money. 

Stack previously served time in federal prison for multiple bank robberies in South Carolina and North Carolina. He was released in 2022. 

More than 90 exhibits were entered into evidence during the trial, and 10 witnesses testified. The jury convicted Stack of bank robbery. 

“When given the opportunity to return to society, this defendant went back to the dangerous crimes that put him in prison in the first place.” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We will continue to pursue those that pose a threat to our community.”

“Violent crime erodes the safety of our citizens and security of our society,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This guilty verdict is truly the culmination of the diligent investigative efforts by local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office. We remain committed to working tirelessly to prevent and address crime and upholding the rule of law.”

“This was truly a team effort,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel. “Law enforcement coordination and cooperation on all levels is vital to solving crimes and holding offenders accountable.”

Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie presided over the trial and will sentence Stack after receiving and reviewing a pre-sentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.  Judge Currie will also sentence Stack for violating his supervised release. Stack faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, and a fine of $250,000 on the 2023 bank robbery. Stack faces additional time in prison for violating his supervised release. 

The case was investigated by Aynor Police Department, Myrtle Beach Police Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.

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