East Liberty Resident Pleads Guilty to Three Counts of Bank Robbery

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts of bank robbery, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Rashon Coleman, 31, formerly of the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on April 10, 2023, a subject later identified as Coleman walked into a bank, shoved a white plastic grocery bag appearing to contain a gun at the teller, and demanded $50,000 in cash. The teller gave cash to Coleman and then locked herself and two other tellers in the back of the bank. At least five other bank employees and multiple customers were present at the time of the robbery, during which Coleman also unsuccessfully attempted to breach the security door leading to the vault before fleeing.

The following day, Coleman entered a different bank nearby the first and shouted at the tellers to give him all of the money. One teller dropped to the ground and pushed the holdup alarm. Another teller removed money and handed it to Coleman, after which Coleman ordered everyone to get on the ground or he would shoot them all. Upon examining the amount of cash he'd received from the teller, Coleman demanded more, threatening to shoot one of the tellers in the head if they didn't comply. A teller went to the vault and returned with more money, which she gave to Coleman, who then fled through the bank's front door.

Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers responding to the alarm noticed Coleman, who matched the description of the robbery suspect, walking down the street from the bank. The officers stopped Coleman and found him in possession of a bag containing a toy gun and a large amount of cash. Coleman later confessed to robbing both banks, and subsequently was charged with the two robberies in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, where he was granted alternative housing at a community detention facility.

On May 20, 2023, Coleman was granted permission to leave the facility for a short period, but failed to return at the designated time. The same day, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers responded to a bank robbery in progress at the same bank that Coleman had robbed on April 10, 2023, where the subject, again later determined to be Coleman, had walked in yelling that he was robbing the bank and instructing everyone to get down. He demanded $20,000 in cash and threatened to start "popping" people if he didn't get the money. Two bank tellers emptied their cash drawers while another teller walked to the back of the bank to get more money. Coleman fled with the money and a short time later was found by police inside of a store down the street from the bank. He was positively identified and had a bag containing cash in excess of $25,000 in his possession.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigations that led to the prosecution of Coleman.