KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas City man who used his smart phone to pass a note to a teller was sentenced Tuesday to 37 months in federal prison for robbing a bank, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Ryan Michael Cothern, 41, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to committing a robbery Oct. 3, 2017, at US Bank at 9900 W. 87th Street in Overland Park, Kan. Prosecutors said Cothern handed a teller his cell phone with a message that read, “Put the 100s, 50s and 20s in the bag." When the teller hesitated, Cothern said, “Don’t do anything you shouldn’t do." The teller put cash and a GPS monitoring device in the bag before pulling the alarm. Cothern was arrested near the 8300 block of Melrose Street.
McAllister commended the Overland Park Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania for their work on the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
