BISMARCK – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that on January 11, 2023, following a 2-day trial, a jury returned a guilty verdict on a charge of Bank Robbery against Robert Andrew Wolter, age 38, from San Jose, California, who robbed the Expressway Avenue Branch of U.S. Bank in Bismarck, ND. U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor presided over the trial.
On January 15, 2019, shortly after 9:00 a.m., a man wearing a disguise, including a mask, wig, and hat entered the U.S. Bank Branch on Expressway Avenue in Bismarck, ND, and announced that this was a bank robbery and directed bank personnel to place money into a bag. After obtaining money from the employees, the man fled the bank.
Three weeks later, on February 5, 2019, Robert Andrew Wolter was at the Newark, New Jersey airport, intending to fly to Ghana, Africa. During an outbound examination conducted by Customs and Border Protection, Wolter underdeclared the amount of currency that he had in his possession. While Wolter was in custody in New Jersey, further investigation in San Jose, California, led to the discovery of evidence related to the Bismarck U.S. Bank robbery.
Wolter was indicted on the bank robbery charge in North Dakota on April 3, 2019.
The charge of bank robbery carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing of Wolter will be scheduled at a later date.
“The arrest and conviction of this bank robber is a product of cross-country cooperation,” US Attorney Mac Schneider said. “I congratulate our federal and local law enforcement partners and our trial team for successfully administering justice in this case.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bismarck Police Department, United States Department of Homeland Security/Customs and Border Protection (New Jersey), and the San Jose Police Department (California), and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Hagler and Jonathan O’Konek
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