Bank Robbery Charges in Alaska

Bank Robbery Charges in Alaska

There have been a lot of bank robberies happening in Anchorage, Alaska lately. Just this month, a few different banks have been robbed at gunpoint. The robbers usually demand cash from the tellers and then take off with a couple thousand dollars. Here’s some information on a few recent cases and what kind of charges the robbers are facing.

Global Credit Union Robbery

On September 19th, a man named Tyler Ching, 34, walked into the Global Credit Union on Industry Way. He pointed what looked like a handgun at two customers who were talking to a teller. Then he put a bag on the counter and told the teller to fill it with cash – they gave him about $2,320. Ching is being charged with bank robbery under 18 U.S.C. §2113(a), which means he could get up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Wells Fargo Bank Robbery

The next day, on September 20th, Ching robbed a Wells Fargo branch on Jewel Lake Road, according to the charges. He pointed a gun at a customer and teller, demanded money, and left with around $2,820. This is another bank robbery charge with a max of 20 years behind bars.

First National Bank Robbery

In a different case on October 3rd, a 49-year-old named Michael Nash tried to rob the First National Bank on West 36th Avenue. Tellers hit the alarm so he wasn’t able to get any cash, but he’s still being charged for the attempted bank robbery.

Credit Union 1 Robberies

A 20-year-old named Etuale Ioane is accused of robbing the same Credit Union 1 branch twice in just two months. The robberies happened on July 17th and August 28th – he’s facing two counts of bank robbery with up to 20 years each.

Defenses and Sentencing

For all these bank robbery charges, the main defenses would probably be mistaken identity (saying “it wasn’t me”) or duress (being forced to do it). The sentences depend on each person’s criminal history and the judge, but the guidelines are pretty stiff – even for first offenses. The minimum is around 5 years in federal prison. It’s a serious felony charge with serious consequences.

Bank robberies have been on the rise in Anchorage this year. Police are trying to figure out if any of the recent cases are related. It seems like the robbers are getting bolder, coming in broad daylight and pointing guns at customers. Hopefully they can catch everyone involved and prevent more banks from getting hit.

References

Arrest Made in Recent Anchorage Credit Union, Bank Robberies
Anchorage Man Arrested, Charged with Bank Robbery
Arrest made in armed robberies at 2 South Anchorage banks
Man arrested on criminal charges in dual Anchorage bank robbery cases
Anchorage man charged with bank robbery
Anchorage man charged with robbing same credit union branch twice in 2 months