Belle Vernon Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery Charges

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on July 30, 2024, to charges of bank robbery and attempted bank robbery, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Dylan Adams, 29, pleaded guilty before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.

According to information presented to the Court, on July 9, 2021, surveillance footage from a Monessen, Pennsylvania, bank recorded a male wearing a baseball cap, a mask, and white sneakers walk into the bank and slide a note to the teller demanding $15,000 and threatening to “shoot” if the police were called. In response, the teller provided the male $3,731, and the male fled before law enforcement’s arrival.

Forensic evidence identified Adams as the individual who committed the bank robbery, with investigators also finding a photograph of Adams on his social media account that showed the same white sneakers worn during the bank robbery.

Following the July 9 bank robbery, law enforcement released still images of the surveillance footage. On July 23, 2021, an employee of a credit union in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, contacted law enforcement indicating that he recognized the male from those still images as someone who had entered the credit union and then left after observing that all of the tellers were occupied with other customers. An employee of the credit union quickly locked the door behind the man, who attempted to re-enter the bank through that and another door, but was told that the bank was closed. Law enforcement again identified Adams as the individual who attempted to commit this bank robbery.

Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for December 19, 2024. The maximum penalty at each count is up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Adams.