25-year sentence for Minneapolis man whose 3 armed robberies included 2 bank heists

A Minneapolis man will spend 25 years in prison for his role in a series of armed robberies that included a bank heist that netted nearly $90,000.

U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright on Wednesday sentenced Richard Alonzo Woods, 38, for holding up two banks and a clothing store in the Twin Cities over a three-month span in 2018.

Woods pleaded guilty earlier to interference with commerce by robbery, two counts of armed bank robbery, two counts of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery.

Along with his prison time, Woods' sentence includes five years of supervision after his release and $97,000 in restitution.

His 25-year sentence was a near match to what the prosecution argued for him to receive, while the defense asked Wright to give Woods about 17 ¹⁄₂ years in prison.

"Victim impact statements from a teller and a customer at one of the banks described the psychological aftermath of being robbed at gunpoint by masked men," the prosecution wrote in a pre-sentence filing with the court.

"They noted suffering from anxiety, depression, sleep disorder, panic disorder, and other symptoms," the filing continued. "The bank teller left her job after the robbery, and the customer has not entered any bank since the incident."

On Feb. 4, 2018, Woods and two accomplices entered Project SoZo, a business that sold apparel and accessories in Minneapolis, brandishing handguns and threatening customers and employees. They stole jewelry, money, and cellphones from the customers, approximately $600 in cash from the register along with store merchandise, including Nike Air Jordan shoes valued at $1,900.

On Feb. 22, 2018, Woods and two accomplices entered Lake Area Bank in White Bear Lake. Surveillance video images showed Woods jumping over a counter and demanding money from a teller's drawer. The three made off with $9,816.

On May 4, 2018, Woods and one accomplice entered Bremer Bank in Brooklyn Center while brandishing guns and threatening to kill the tellers. A third accomplice was waiting in a getaway car. Woods and his accomplices stole $88,618 from the bank.

Authorities arrested Woods in Minneapolis on May 18, 2018, after a 16-block chase. Two guns were in the vehicle.