Wilkinsburg Man Sentenced to Almost 6 Years in Prison for Robbing Local Dollar General and PNC Bank

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a term of imprisonment of five years and 10 months, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on charges of bank robbery and Hobbs Act robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Lamont Gates, 65.

According to information presented to the court, on October 5, 2017, armed with a knife, Gates robbed the Dollar General store located on Penn Ave. in Wilkinsburg. Gates took approximately $310 before fleeing the store. One week later, on October 12, 2017, Gates entered the PNC Bank, also on Penn Avenue, and advised the teller that it was a stick-up. He demanded $20 bills. Gates reached through the metal bars on the teller counter in an attempt to grab either the teller or money. He then threatened to blow the teller’s head off and reached for an object with a black handle in his back pocket. The teller gave Gates approximately $2,060, including bait money.

A few minutes later, Gates was observed in the parking lot of the beer distributor one block away from the PNC Bank. After a brief chase, officers arrested Gates. Officers recovered $1,940 (in $20 bills) from Gates. It appears that he had already purchased a few items from the beer distributor. No weapons were recovered. Gates confessed to the Dollar General robbery.

Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Wilkinsburg Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Lamont Gates.