Cleveland Man Sentenced To More Than 12 Years In Prison For Armed Bank Robbery

Joshua Gilchrist, age 35, was sentenced in federal court to 147 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for armed bank robbery.  The Court also ordered that this term of incarceration be served consecutive to a previously imposed sentence of 36 months in prison that Gilchrist received for an armed bank robbery in Oklahoma.

According to evidence presented at sentencing, in the afternoon of December 8, 2017, Joshua Gilchrist, brandished a handgun as he robbed the Key Bank located at 3602 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. The bank was busy at the time with multiple customers waiting in the bank’s lobby.  Gilchrist ordered everyone to the ground and demanded money from the tellers. He fled on foot with $3,496 in U.S. currency.  Surveillance video showed the robbery occur with Gilchrist’s face clearly visible.  He also left behind a bag, which was later tested for and confirmed the presence of Gilchrist’s DNA.

Approximately two months later, on February 6, 2018, Gilchrist robbed the Bank of Oklahoma in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He brandished what appeared to be a handgun and threatened to kill the tellers.  Gilchrist ordered everyone to the ground, demanded cash, and fled with $740. The same day, local law enforcement identified and arrested Joshua Gilchrist in Joplin, Missouri where he confessed to the Tulsa Oklahoma bank robbery.  A fake gun was recovered from his vehicle.  On September 11, 2018, Gilchrist pled guilty to the Bank of Oklahoma robbery in federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma.  On December 12, 2018, that court sentenced Gilchrist to 36 months in prison.  After the resolution of his Oklahoma case, he was brought to Cleveland to face his charges for the Key Bank robbery.

This case was investigated by the Cleveland Division of Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott C. Zarzycki.