Hazleton Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Three Banks

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Shawn Luther Kelley, age 35, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to the robbery of three financial institutions before Senior United States District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Kelley appeared in federal court in Wilkes-Barre and admitted to committing the following robberies: the PNC Bank located at 499 Susquehanna Boulevard, Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, on April 16, 2012; the Choice One Community Federal Credit Union, located at 983 North Sherman Court, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, on April 20, 2012; and the Citizens Bank located at 40 West Broad Street, West Hazleton, Pennsylvania, on April 24, 2012. Kelley was arrested shortly after the Citizens Bank robbery on April 24, 2012.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, Hazleton Police Department, and West Hazleton Police Department. Prosecution has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney John Gurganus.

A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is 60 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public, and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational, and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.