A 50-year-old repeat felon from Minneapolis who robbed an Uptown bank correctly predicted his fate soon after the stickup.
Brady A. Johnson was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in St. Paul to 13 years in prison for holding up the TCF National Bank on W. Lake Street on March 28.
Johnson admitted that he robbed the bank of more than $3,800 after gesturing to the teller that he had a gun. He handed the teller a note that read, "This is a robbery." When the teller didn't react immediately, Johnson said, "This isn't a joke. This is a robbery. Look at the note. Give me all the fifties and hundreds. I have a gun, and I will shoot you."
A GPS device slipped into the pack of money given to Johnson helped police determine that he had fled on a Metro Transit bus. Officers stopped the bus near W. 24th Street and Harriet Avenue S. and apprehended him. He had the stolen cash, the GPS device and the note.
Johnson told police upon his arrest that he knew he was "going to prison for a long time." He has previously been convicted for robbing banks in 1995 and 2001, robbing a grocery store with a knife in 1989 and twice for aggravated robberies.
In arguing for a 10-year sentence, Johnson's defense noted his decades-long struggle with cocaine addiction and pointed out that he has not hurt anyone physically during the bank robberies.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
