Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Bank with Hoax Bomb in Gilbert
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 11, 2010 |
PHOENIX—Donald Ray Ludington, 48, of Gilbert, Ariz., pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of Armed Bank Robbery for robbing a bank in Gilbert in October 2009. Ludington walked into a bank with a backpack, set it down at his feet, and presented the victim teller with a lengthy note that read “I have a bomb at my feet” demanding “20’s, 50’s, and 100’s.” The teller gave him money and he ran away.
Police received an anonymous tip naming Ludington as the bank robber. Police then conducted surveillance on Ludington, who was found casing banks in the East Valley. Agents and officers took a photograph of Ludington, whom bank employees identified as the person who robbed the bank back in October. Ludington was arrested and interviewed, and in the interview he admitted using a hoax bomb to rob the bank in Gilbert.
A conviction for Armed Bank Robbery carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Sentencing is set before The Honorable David G. Campbell on June 7, 2010.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crime/Bank Robbery Task Force and Gilbert and Mesa Police Departments. The prosecution is being handled by Jennifer E. Green, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR09-01399-PHX-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2010-039(Ludington)