GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - Michael Dewayne Winbush, 53, of Grand Rapids, was sentenced on June 14 to 180 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today.
On Nov. 30, 2015, Winbush entered the Flagstar Bank on 44th Street in Grand Rapids and handed a teller a note indicating that he had a gun and demanding money. He obtained $5,505 and fled on foot. He was later identified through tips called in to Silent Observer. On Feb. 1, 2016, Winbush pled guilty to robbing the bank. As part of the plea agreement, he will not be prosecuted for a robbery he committed at Lake Michigan Credit Union in Wyoming, Michigan on Nov. 27, 2015. Winbush was ordered to pay restitution to both institutions. Winbush has previously been convicted of bank robberies in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 2001 and in Genesee County Circuit Court in 2005. At sentencing, U.S District Judge Robert Holmes Bell chided Winbush for repeatedly resorting to bank robbery despite being educated, articulate, and having the skills and ability to be productive.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Rapids Police Department, and Wyoming Police Department investigated the robberies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis M. Sanford.
END
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
