Cedar Rapids Man Pleads Guilty To Robbing Bank In Ely

A man who robbed the Solon State Bank in Ely, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Robert Melton, 51, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of bank robbery.

At the plea hearing, Melton admitted he entered the Solon State Bank in Ely on January 17, 2014, and gave a note to a teller demanding money and informing the teller not to do anything and nothing would happen.  The teller gave Melton some cash and Melton left the bank, walked to his truck, and drove away.  A witness to the robbery followed Melton as he drove away from the bank.  The witness called 911 and reported Melton’s location.  Law enforcement officers then stopped Melton and took him into custody. 

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Melton remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Melton faces a possible maximum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. 

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov.  The case file number is 14-CR-00024.