A Lawrence man has been indicted in connection with the July robbery of Bank of America, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas returned the indictment Thursday, according to a news release from prosecutors on Friday and court records.
Alfonzo Cole, 41, is charged with one count of bank robbery, accused of stealing $2,112 from the bank “by force, violence, and intimidation,” according to the indictment.
Police said in a social media post shortly after the robbery that the suspect had fled the scene. No injuries were reported. The FBI last month announced it was offering an award of up to $2,000 for information leading to the conviction of the suspect.
FBI Special Agent Corey Stulce filed a complaint detailing how investigators used surveillance images and interviews with people who knew Cole to track him down. Law enforcement also believes Cole may have been involved in the June and July burglaries of Wingstop and Mediterranean Market in Lawrence, according to the complaint.
Investigators found Cole working at KFC on Sept. 9 and arrested him without incident, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges that Cole didn’t deny robbing the bank but identified himself as the person in the surveillance images, “appeared remorseful and showed empathy/emotion and even broke down and began to cry” in an interview. He reportedly told investigators that he was attempting to get money and food because of personal financial struggles and an ill family member who needed support for her current health situation.
Cole is in custody of the Leavenworth federal corrections institution. He could face up to 20 years in prison, among other possible penalties, according to the indictment. His next court hearing is a detention hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23 in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting the case, according to the release.
All arrestees and defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless they are convicted.
This was the second time in recent years that this Bank of America location had been robbed. Another robbery was reported in November 2021.
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