PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a two-year term of probation on her conviction of assisting her bank robber son evade law enforcement, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Melissa Kane, age 48.

According to information presented to the court, Kane knew that her son, Brent Richards, robbed the Citizens Bank located at 31 Foster Avenue in Pittsburgh, at gun point, on January 8, 2018. Following the armed bank robber, Kane assisted Richards evade law enforcement by allowing him to stay at her residence, disposing of the clothing worn by Richards and the BB gun that he used, and later denying any knowledge of or involvement in the bank robbery, when interviewed by law enforcement. The Court was further informed that Kane was engaged in a physical altercation with Richard’s former girlfriend, who Kane believed would tell law enforcement that Richards had robbed the bank.

Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Crafton Borough Police Department, the Allegheny County Sherriff’s Office, and the West Mifflin Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Kane.

PITTSBURGH, PA – A former City of Pittsburgh Police Officer and resident of Allegheny County was sentenced in federal court to one year of probation with 90 days of home detention for his conviction on two counts of making false statements to government agents, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Antoine Cain, age 50. According to information presented to the Court, Mr. Cain, who was a 25-year veteran police officer for the City of Pittsburgh at the time, provided false information on two occasions to federal agents in the course of a federal investigation into an armed bank robbery that occurred in January of 2018 at the Citizens Bank in Crafton, PA.

Despite knowing the identity of the individual who had robbed the bank – that is, Brent Richards, who is the son of Melissa Kane, the woman with whom Mr. Cain was in a relationship – on two separate occasions in July of 2018, when questioned by federal agents, Cain denied knowing who had robbed the bank. It was not until he was confronted a third time by federal agents, in September of 2018, and informed by those agents that they had information that he did know the identity of the bank robber, that Cain admitted that he knew Brent Richards had robbed the bank and failed to tell federal agents on the two previous occasions that he had spoken with them. Specifically, Cain admitted that Brent Richards told him that he had "hit" a bank, which Cain understood to mean that Brent Richards had committed a bank robbery, and Melissa Kane told him that Brent Richards had robbed the Citizens Bank, wearing a mask and using a bb gun and that Brent Richards had been covered up so law enforcement could not prove that it was Brent Richards who had robbed the bank.

Both Ms. Kane and Mr. Richards have plead guilty in federal court in their respective cases and are awaiting sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Eric G. Olshan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Antoine Cain.

PITTSBURGH, PA- A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of accessory after the fact, for assisting the "Sorry, Happy Holidays" bank robber, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Melissa Kane, 48, pleaded guilty to Count Three of a three-count Indictment, which also charges her son, Brent Richards, who pleaded guilty to Count One of the Indictment, charging him with armed bank robbery, on June 25, 2019, before United States District Judge Peter J. Phipps.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Ms. Kane knew that her son, Brent Richards, robbed the Citizens Bank located at 31 Foster Avenue in Pittsburgh, at gun point, on January 8, 2018, and she assisted Mr. Richards, following the robbery, by allowing him to stay at her residence, disposing of the clothing worn by Mr. Richards and the bb gun used by Mr. Richards, and later denying any knowledge of or involvement in the bank robbery, when interviewed by law enforcement. The Court was further informed that Ms. Kane was engaged in a physical altercation with Mr. Richard’s former girlfriend, who Ms. Kane believed would tell law enforcement that Mr. Richards had robbed the bank.

Judge Phipps scheduled sentencing for Nov. 6, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a maximum sentence of 12 years and six months in prison, a fine of $125,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Ms. Kane remains on bond pending the sentencing hearing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Timothy M. Lanni are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Crafton Borough Police Department, the Allegheny County Sherriff’s Office, and the West Mifflin Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Kane.

 

PITTSBURGH, PA- A former resident of Crafton, PA, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to a charge of armed bank robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Brent Richards, age 33, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Peter J. Phipps to Count One of the three-count Indictment, which also charges his mother, Melissa Kane, at Count Three.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on January 8, 2018, at approximately 9:18 a.m., Richards, dressed in all black, entered the Citizens Bank located at 31 Foster Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15205, carrying a black umbrella and, what appeared to be, a black and silver semi-automatic style handgun, which was later determined to be a bb-gun. The Court was further informed that Richards pointed the bb-gun at two of the tellers, placed a white bag on the counter and demanded that the tellers empty their drawers of cash. Richards took $10,003 from the bank and, when exiting the bank, stated: "Sorry, Happy Holidays."

Judge Phipps scheduled sentencing for October 16, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 25 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Richards remains in custody pending sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Timothy M. Lanni are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Crafton Borough Police Department, the Allegheny County Sherriff’s Office, and the West Mifflin Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of this case.

PITTSBURGH, PA – A former City of Pittsburgh Police Officer and resident of Allegheny County pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of making false statements to government agents, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Antoine Cain, 49, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to government agents before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that during the course of a federal investigation pertaining to an armed bank robbery that occurred on January 8, 2018 at the Citizens Bank in Crafton, PA, federal agents interviewed Cain, who was at the time a 25-year veteran police officer for the City of Pittsburgh. Through the course of their investigation, federal agents learned that Mr. Cain had been involved in a seven-year, on-again, off-again, relationship with a woman identified as Melissa Kane. Federal investigators had identified Melissa Kane as the mother of the lead suspect in the Citizens Bank armed robbery, Brent Richards.

The court was further advised that federal agents interviewed Cain on July 27, 2018, and July 31, 2018, wherein he made false statements to government agents. Namely, Cain told federal agents during both of these interviews that he did not know the identity of the individual who had robbed the Citizens Bank, when in fact he did. On September 18, 2018, federal agents spoke once again with Cain and advised Cain that their investigation revealed additional information indicating that Cain knew who robbed the Citizens Bank.

Cain was asked once again if he had any information regarding the identity of the bank robber, to which Cain admitted, during this interview, that he did. During this interview Cain explained to law enforcement that Brent Richards, who Cain knew through his relationship with Melissa Kane, had committed the Citizens Bank armed robbery. Cain further admitted that Brent Richards told him that he had "hit" a bank, which Cain understood to mean that Brent Richards had committed a bank robbery, and Melissa Kane told him that Brent Richards had robbed the Citizens Bank, wearing a mask and using a bb gun and that Brent Richards had been covered up so law enforcement could not prove that it was Brent Richards who had robbed the bank.

Judge Arthur J. Schwab scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2019 at 11 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than five years in prison, a fine of not more than $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 Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Eric G. Olshan are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Antoine Cain.

PITTSBURGH, PA – Two residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges stemming from an armed bank robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The three-count Indictment, returned on Nov. 27 and unsealed today, named Brent Richards, 32, as the defendant at Counts One and Two, and Melissa Kane, 47, as the defendant at Count Three.

According to the Indictment, on or about January 8, 2018, Richards robbed the Citizens Bank at 31 Foster Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15205, of $10,003. Richards is alleged to have brandished a firearm in the commission of the robbery. The Indictment names Kane as an accessory after the fact for helping to protect Richards from apprehension.

For Richards, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 25 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, for the armed bank robbery count. Additionally, the law provides for a minimum sentence of not less than five years in prison and up to life, a fine of $250,000, or both, for the firearms offense. For Kane, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 12.5 years in prison, a fine of $125,000, 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 defendants.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Timothy M. Lanni are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Crafton Borough Police Department, the Allegheny County Sherriff’s Office, and the West Mifflin Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.