Lenexa Man Pleads Guilty in Bank Robbery That Left Bystander Wounded

KANSAS CITY, KS—Nicholas E. Kamphaus, 26, Lenexa, has pleaded guilty to a robbery at the Credit Union of Johnson County that left a bystander wounded by gunfire, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

Kamphaus pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery, one count of attempted murder of a witness and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. In his plea, Kamphaus admitted that about 9 a.m. March 28, 2009, he entered the Credit Union of Johnson County at 13001 West 95th Street in Lenexa. He was wearing a blue bandana over his face and carrying a handgun. He vaulted the counter, took money from two tellers, and fled with the cash. Soon after Kamphaus left the building, an elderly customer attempting to enter the bank was told there had been a robbery. The customer said he had seen the robber and would follow him.

Lenexa Police were answering the call from the credit union when they received a report of shots fired near West 94th Street and Haskins in Lenexa, less than half a mile from the robbery. At the scene, they found the bank customer in his minivan with the hazard lights flashing. The customer had been shot multiple times.

On March 29, 2009, FBI agents located the car Kamphaus drove during the robbery at a residence in Kansas City, Kan. They arrested Kamphaus and recovered cash from the bank robbery as well as shell casings that matched those at the scene of the shooting.

Kamphaus is scheduled for sentencing June 7, 2010. The government is recommending a sentence of 336 months (28 years) in federal prison without parole. Welch commended the FBI, the Lenexa Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Johnson County District Attorney’s office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.