An 88-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for his role in two bank robberies within four days of each other, Montana’s U.S. attorney said.
Steven Whitecloud of Billings, Montana, pleaded guilty in February to one count of bank robbery, following his alleged involvement in two bank robberies that occurred in August.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters sentenced Whitecloud to two years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
The court additionally ordered Whitecloud to pay $3,092 in restitution.
The U.S. attorney’s office alleged in court documents that Whitecloud’s co-defendant Patrick Justice, 26, entered a U.S. bank on August 24, 2023, and handed a teller a note demanding money. The teller agreed and Justice fled in a green Ford Taurus.
Four days later, Justice entered a Wells Fargo bank and handed a teller another note demanding money, telling the teller he was “tied up,” which the teller interpreted as Justice saying he was armed. The cashier gave Justice money.
When police arrived, they saw Justice enter the green Ford Taurus. After a pursuit, officers stopped the vehicle and arrested Justice along with Whitecloud, who was driving. Authorities say the two stole a combined $15,000 in both robberies.
Justice is Whitecloud’s grandson, according to court documents filed by the defense.
Whitecloud, who was convicted of bank robbery in 2008 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, told officers he had suggested he and Justice rob banks to make money, as he had done in the past. Whitecloud said he told the Justice Department which banks to rob and that he acted as a getaway driver.
Whitecloud suffers from serious health conditions, including stage 5 lung cancer in remission, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hepatitis C, high blood pressure, arthritis and scoliosis. He requires the use of supplemental oxygen and has limited mobility.
Since 2017, Whitecloud has three criminal convictions, including a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief after he fired a firearm at a victim who caught him and another person who stole from the victim’s truck.
“He is living at the very ragged end of his life,” the U.S. attorney’s sentencing memorandum read. “And yet. Despite all his illness and infirmity, the defendant has demonstrated on multiple occasions that he poses a significant danger to the community.”
Whitecloud was ordered to report to the U.S. Marshals Service pending designation at a Bureau of Prisons medical facility. Justice was also sentenced to two years in prison for his conviction.
CORRECTION (June 23, 2024, 6:40 PM ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the number of theft counts to which Whitecloud pleaded guilty. He pleaded guilty to one bank robbery, not two.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
