Three Sentenced to Federal Prison for Palo Bank Robbery

Two men and one woman, who robbed a bank in Palo, Iowa, in May 2016, have each been sentenced to terms of federal imprisonment.

Lance Monden, age 33 from Cedar Rapids, Stanley Mosley, age 36 from Coralville, and Katherine Pihl, age 39 from Tiffin, each received a term of imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of bank robbery.

Evidence at sentencing and prior court hearings established that the three robbed the Palo Savings Bank on May 20, 2016.  At approximately 2:35 p.m. on that day, Monden and Mosley entered the Palo Savings Bank.  Both were wearing black masks and hooded sweatshirts.  The two yelled at the employees in the bank and went from teller drawer to teller drawer taking cash.  Monden and Mosley spent about one minute in the bank before running out the door.

Pihl was waiting outside the bank with a Ford Taurus to use as a getaway car.  After leaving the bank, Monden and Mosley got into the trunk of the Taurus.  Pihl then drove the Taurus out of Palo and south towards Cedar Rapids.  Witnesses saw Monden and Mosley running from the bank wearing masks and then saw the Taurus leaving the area of the bank and reported this information to 911.  About seven minutes after the bank robbery, a deputy with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office stopped the Taurus and found Monden and Mosley hiding in the trunk of the car.  Law enforcement recovered all the cash stolen from the bank in the trunk of the car and on the persons of Monden and Mosley.

Monden, Mosley and Pihl were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Monden was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Mosley was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Pihl was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Each must also pay a $100 special assessment.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Monden and Mosley are being held in United States Marshal’s custody until they are transported to a federal prison.  Pihl was released on conditions of release previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on December 26, 2016.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 16-CR-00051.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.