West St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a West St. Louis, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to robbing First Federal Bank in North Kansas City, Mo.

James A. Yokum, 43, of West St. Louis, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to the charge contained in a June 20, 2013, federal indictment.

By pleading guilty today, Yokum admitted that he stole $600 from First Federal Bank, 1200 Armour Road in North Kansas City, on June 11, 2013.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Yokum walked into the bank at approximately 2:45 p.m. and waited in line at a teller window. He leaned over the counter and whispered, “Give me all your hundreds.” The teller handed him six $100 bills and he ran out of the bank.

A relative of Yokum, who was working nearby, told agents that Yokum had been staying at his house temporarily, and that Yokum had told him earlier in the day that he was going to rob a bank.

Yokum was arrested the same day by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who intercepted his vehicle on eastbound Interstate 70 near Columbia, Mo.

Under federal statutes, Yokum is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Y.Tabor. It was investigated by the FBI.