SIOUX FALLS (AP) – A federal jury has convicted a Nebraska man of robbing the same bank in South Dakota twice in a year's time.
Ferris Valentine was convicted of two counts of bank robbery Thursday in Sioux Falls.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in South Dakota says the 54-year-old Omaha man and a partner robbed the First National Bank in Sioux Falls on Nov. 15, 2016.
Valentine and his partner rented a car in Omaha and drove to Sioux Falls. Valentine, armed with a handgun, demanded money from the bank tellers and the bank’s vault. They fled before police arrived.
Prosecutors say in November 2017, Valentine robbed the same bank again, wearing a mask, as he did in the first robbery, and again used a gun. He grabbed money from the vault and left before police got to the bank.
DNA was taken from the first robbery scene in 2016. A match to Valentine’s partner in 2018 led law enforcement to Valentine, the Argus Leader reported.
A total estimated $278,000 was taken from the robberies, according to authorities.
Valentine is scheduled to be sentenced on May 10.