Jury Convicts Kansas City Man of Two Armed Bank Robberies, Faces at Least 32 Years in Federal Prison

KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today of committing two armed bank robberies and illegally possessing a firearm.

Michael K. Scott, 55, of Kansas City, was found guilty of robbing a Kansas City, Mo., bank and a Parkville, Mo., bank, as well as using firearms during the commission of both bank robberies and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Scott stole $169,430 from Bank Midwest, 6430 N. Cosby, Kansas City, on Sept. 2, 2008. Scott and two other men, wearing face coverings and gloves, ordered customers and bank employees to lie on the floor. One robber went to the office of the bank manager and forced him to open the vault. Immediately afterward, Scott’s green Jaguar was seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed.

Scott stole $110,200 from Commerce Bank, 9155 N.W. Hwy. 45, Parkville, on Jan. 27, 2010. Scott and co-defendant Woodrow McCoy, 38, of Kansas City, were both armed when they entered the bank. One of the robbers, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, forced customers and bank employees into the vault room, told them to lie on the floor and ordered the vault to be opened. The second robber, armed with a large revolver, hopped over the teller line and walked through the vault area, stepping on and over the people lying on the floor.

After the robbery, law enforcement officers were able to follow the money with a tracking device. A Kansas City police officer located a gold Infiniti, which tried to evade the officer and eventually crashed into a yard. Scott was arrested, and officers recovered the money taken from the bank along with two firearms and other evidence from the car.

McCoy entered the garage of a nearby resident, accosted him, took his vehicle keys and stole his Toyota pick-up truck. When he was arrested a couple of days later, McCoy had the key to the truck in his pocket. The owner of the gold Infiniti was McCoy’s girlfriend, who told officers that McCoy had borrowed the vehicle that day.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City deliberated for under four hours before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Monday, Jan. 9, 2012.

Under federal statutes, Scott is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 32 years in federal prison without parole, up to a life sentence. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

McCoy pleaded guilty to using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. McCoy admitted that he was armed with a Baikal .380-caliber pistol and used it during the armed robbery at the Commerce Bank in Parkville.

McCoy has a prior federal felony conviction for use of a firearm during a crime of violence and is therefore subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison without parole. Under the terms of the binding plea agreement, the government and McCoy jointly recommend a sentence of 25 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

White pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison without parole after his case was transferred to the District of Kansas, where he was charged in an unrelated bank robbery case. The court also ordered White to pay $93,296 in restitution.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce E. Clark and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vanover. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Parkville, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.