KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., man has been convicted, following a bench trial, of robbing Commerce Bank.

David E. Clark, 36, of Kansas City, was found guilty of bank robbery following a trial on Monday, Dec. 8, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner.

Clark was indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing $3,037 from Commerce Bank, 118 W. 47th Street, Kansas City, on July 28, 2014.

Clark was wearing an orange construction-type vest when he entered the bank, walked directly towards a teller station and grabbed a note from his pocket. The teller refused to look at the note and asked Clark if he needed help. Clark told the teller to pull out his drawers. When the teller told him the teller drawers were locked, Clark instructed him to get the keys. The teller returned to his teller station, and Clark told him to “give me 100’s, 50’s and 20’s.” The teller grabbed the requested denominations from his teller drawer and gave the money to Clark, who walked swiftly out of the bank’s front door and then ran up Wyandotte Street.

Another bank employee saw Clark go around the corner and then exit a parking garage in a white truck with a concrete company’s sign on the side. Less than half an hour later, police officers located Clark and arrested him.

According to court documents, the owner of the truck told law enforcement investigators afterward that he had driven the vehicle to a meeting earlier that day and offered a ride to Clark, who had done work as an independent contractor for his company. After his meeting he was supposed to take Clark to another location, but when he returned to the parking lot after his meeting, both Clark and his truck were gone.

Under federal statutes, Clark is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.