An Anchorage bank robber whose identity was revealed when he showed his own photo ID card to a teller during the heist has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney.
Jarell Paul Arnold, 34, previously pleaded guilty to one count of credit union robbery.
According to prosecutors, Arnold walked in to the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union on Juneau Street last August and gave his real name and account number to the teller as he inquired about his balance. He showed his picture ID.
After the teller told Arnold his account was empty, he handed over a receipt with a note scribbled on the back. “I have a gun. Give me all the money in your drawer,” it said. The FBI said Arnold stuffed about $600 in his jacket and took off.
Arnold slipped from the grasp of police and FBI agents descending on the bank that day. But FBI special agent Steven Payne recognized the owner of the bank account in question, Arnold, as the same man he had previously arrested for bank robbery in 2004.
Arnold was still on supervised release from a 57-month sentence for bank robbery in that case. The coincidence caught Payne’s eye.
Arnold pleaded guilty to the new robbery charge in October.
At his sentencing, U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline, noting Arnold’s significant criminal record and the need to protect the public, ordered Arnold to serve 12 years in prison.
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.
