Chicago Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of Sheldon Bank

A man who robbed the Iowa State Bank in Sheldon, Iowa, was sentenced today, to 8 years in federal prison.

Leon Sutton, age 38, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a May 17, 2023, guilty plea to bank robbery.

Evidence in the case showed that on June 3, 2021, Sutton entered the bank at approximately 12:00 p.m., armed with a handgun, and demanded money. Sutton was seen on video surveillance in a recently purchased car with no plates, canvasing the area.  Sutton even entered the bank twice in the morning before the robbery. Sheldon officers were able to locate the previous owner of the car and traced it to Sutton, who after the robbery, fled to the Chicago area where he was apprehended.

Sutton was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 96 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Sutton is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by Sheldon, Iowa Police Department, and the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-4033.

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