Springfield Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Bank Robbery, Illegal Firearm

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his sixth bank robbery and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Anthony Carlton Dunlap, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 18 years in federal prison without parole. Dunlap was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

On Nov. 15, 2017, Dunlap pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Dunlap entered Bank of America, 633 W. Kearney St., Springfield, at about 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2017. Dunlap, wearing his hoodie up covering his head, approached a teller and handed her a piece of paper that said, “stay calm.” Dunlap looked toward his hand that was in his coat pocket, causing the teller to believe he made the gesture to indicate he was armed.

The teller removed cash from her teller drawer and placed it on the counter in front of Dunlap. He then demanded more money, so the teller removed more cash from her teller drawer. Dunlap stuffed the cash into his pockets and left the bank. An audit of the victim teller’s drawer revealed that $3,910 was taken in the robbery.

Dunlap was found a short time later, hiding in the back seat of his girlfriend’s car, which was parked in front of a Springfield residence. As Dunlap was removed from the car, a large amount of loose cash was dragged out with him. Cash was also on the back floor boards of the car. The total amount recovered was $3,910. A loaded Hi Point .40-caliber pistol was also located on the backseat of the car. Dunlap told law enforcement officers that he robbed the bank in order to get money to buy heroin.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Dunlap has five prior felony convictions for five separate bank robberies committed between Nov. 19, 2001, and Feb. 19, 2002.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.