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Press Release

Career Criminal Sentenced To Over 15 Years In Prison For Bank Robbery With A Knife

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada

RENO, Nev. – A career criminal was sentenced on Tuesday to 188 months in prison for robbing a bank with a knife, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada.

Tommy Ray McAdoo, 77, of Reno, pleaded guilty on April 17, 2017, to one count of bank robbery with the use of a dangerous weapon. United States District Judge Robert C. Jones presided over the sentencing hearing.

According to the indictment and court related documents, on Nov. 9, 2016, McAdoo entered a Nevada State Bank and showed a bank teller a demand note for money while holding a steak knife in his hand. The bank teller gave McAdoo four “bait bills” and an electronic tracker. He stole approximately $2,731. During a neighborhood canvas immediately following the robbery, law enforcement found discarded clothing and items that matched the video surveillance taken during the robbery. One of the items found was the demand note that was written on a casino sports betting sheet. Law enforcement identified McAdoo as a suspect and found him at a nearby casino. During an interview with law enforcement, McAdoo admitted to robbing the bank.

McAdoo has previously been convicted of multiple bank robberies. In 1981, he was convicted of two counts of armed bank robbery in Bakersfield, Calif., and an additional two counts of bank robbery in Las Vegas. He was then convicted of bank robbery again in 1990 in Seattle.

The case was investigated by the FBI and Reno Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Rachow.

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Updated August 2, 2017

Topic
Violent Crime
Component