Deleon Springs Man Pleads Guilty To Armed Bank Robbery

Orlando, Florida - Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Robert Gordon Shaw (37, Deleon Springs) pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of armed bank robbery. Shaw faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, on April 19, 2013, Shaw and a separately charged individual named Matthew Anthony Cosimini robbed a Regions Bank in Sanford. They displayed a fake explosive detonation device and passed a note to a bank teller demanding money and indicated that an explosive had been placed inside the bank. During the robbery, Shaw and Cosimini also possessed a semiautomatic pistol with ammunition. After Shaw passed the demand note and displayed the detonation device, the bank teller handed Shaw approximately $14,098 in bank money. After the robbery, Shaw and Cosimini fled in a stolen vehicle and responding officers from the Sanford Police Department pursued them. During the pursuit, Shaw caused damage to both a police vehicle and a civilian's vehicle. Police officers eventually stopped and arrested Shaw and Cosimini one mile from the bank. The officers also recovered the firearm and detonation device from the stolen vehicle. Further investigation revealed that the detonation device was a fake and that there were no explosives inside the bank.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Sanford Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.