North Carolina Man Charged with Two Bank Robberies, One Attempted Robbery in Ohio

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a three-count indictment charging Benjamin J. Mooneyhan, age 19, of Selma, North Carolina, with bank robbery.

Count One of the indictment charges that on or about April 28, 2010, Benjamin J. Mooneyhan entered the Huntington Bank, 2021 Mahoning Road, NE, Canton, Ohio, and presented a note to a teller demanding money. The teller complied with the demand note and Mooneyhan left the bank with approximately $750.

Count Two charges that on or about May 11, 2010, Mooneyhan entered the First Merit Bank, 3100 Atlantic Boulevard, NE, Canton, Ohio, again with a demand note. A bank employee told Mooneyhan that the teller’s drawer contained no money and he grabbed the note and fled from the bank. No money was lost during this attempted robbery.

Count Three charges that on that same day, Mooneyhan entered the Consumers National Bank, 1111 North Chapel Street, Louisville, Ohio, and handed a teller a demand note. The teller complied with Mooneyhan’s demand note and he fled from the bank with approximately $1,924.

If convicted, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Canton, the Canton Police Department and the Louisville Police Department. The matter was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney Linda H. Barr.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.