Bomb Threat Part of Bank Robbery, Federal Charge Says

KANSAS CITY, KS—Darnell Richmond, 47, Kansas City, Kan., has been charged with one count of bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

Richmond is charged with robbing the UMB Bank 601 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kan. According to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Richmond walked into the bank about noon May 27, 2009, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, baseball hat and sunglasses. At a teller’s window, he produced a note saying, “I have a bomb.” Putting the money the teller gave him in his pocket, he left the bank.

An off-duty Kansas City, Kan., police officer chased Richmond on foot. Richmond tried to steal a car stopped at a red light at 6th and State Avenue but was unable to get the doors of the car open. He ran toward the Robert J. Dole U.S. Courthouse, where he was arrested on the west side of the building.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. The U.S. Attorney’s office is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

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