April 6, 10

NEWS / Gilroy Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Armed Bank Robbery

Robbed Nearly $400,000 from 11 Banks in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties

SAN JOSE, CA—A Gilroy man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay $360,418 in restitution for multiple armed bank robberies, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.

Peter Franklin Klein, 50, of Gilroy, Calif., pleading guilty on Jan. 11, 2010, to 11 counts of armed bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113. Klein admitted that between December, 2007, and March, 2009, he robbed by force nearly $400,000 from banks in California’s Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties.

Klein was arrested by the Gilroy Police Department on March 27, 2009, immediately after his armed robbery of the Chase Bank in Gilroy. He has remained in custody since that time and will begin serving his sentence immediately.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald M. Whyte. Judge Whyte also sentenced the defendant to a five-year period of supervised release.

Daniel Kaleba is the Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Further Information:

Case # CR 09-00453 RMW

http://sanfrancisco.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/sf040510.htm