Anchorage Man Sentenced to More than 13 Years in Prison for Two Armed Robberies

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Kek Nyathor Bol, 22, of Anchorage, was sentenced to 157 months imprisonment for bank robbery and discharging a firearm during separate violent crimes on June 1, 2019, and June 15, 2019. Senior U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline also ordered Bol to serve a five year period of supervised release after his prison sentence.

As part of a plea agreement, Bol admitted to entering a Cash America store on Gambell Street in Anchorage on June 1, 2019, with a Glock pistol. He fired a shot into the ceiling, threatened to shoot the employees if they called the police, and then escaped with approximately $383.75 in cash.

Two weeks later, Bol entered a Credit Union 1 branch located on Debarr Road in Anchorage with the same pistol. He immediately fired a shot into the ceiling and demanded money from the tellers while he pointed the pistol at each of them.  He escaped with more than $8,000 in cash.

Federal agents executed a search warrant on Bol’s apartment and vehicle later that week, and recovered thousands of dollars and a Glock pistol. Serial numbers of currency bills were confirmed of those stolen from the bank.  Ballistics testing matched the pistol to shell casings recovered from both the Cash America and Credit Union 1 robberies.

At sentencing, several victims came forward to describe to Judge Beistline the horrifying events, emphasizing that Bol’s crimes continue to traumatize them.

“The impact of this robbery is far beyond financial. Mr. Bol’s actions have made a deep and irreparable impact on our employees, members and local Anchorage community. Beyond the scope of monetary loss, his reckless, premeditated actions threatened lives and permanently damaged the emotional wellbeing of innocent people in a manner that can never be truly fixed,” said Rachel Langtry, Credit Union 1 Chief Operating Officer.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Anchorage Police Department (APD), as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Klugman and Jennifer Ivers.