Bank Robber Receives Maximum Sentence

Antonio Jesus Sanchez, of Clewiston, has been adjudicated guilty of Robbery While Wearing a Mask and sentenced to 30 years in prison, the maximum sentence. He was
sentenced Friday, immediately after the jury returned the guilty verdict, following a two-day trial in Hendry County.

On the morning of March 29, 2022, a man walked into the First Bank in Clewiston, wearing a mask and a hat to conceal his identity. He demanded a teller put money in a bag, while pointing to a walkie talkie underneath his vest, as if it were a gun. The teller gave him cash and he ran out of the bank. 

Officers with the Clewiston Police Department arrived on scene and were able to make a positive identification of the suspect, as Antonio Jesus Sanchez, through a review of video and witness descriptions.

A search warrant was obtained for the defendant’s home and executed by the Clewiston Police Department and FBI. Detectives and FBI Agents located items inside that matched what the defendant was wearing and holding in the bank robbery video. They also found a pillowcase with more than $2,000 in it, on his bed, and the defendant had exactly $1,000 in $100 bills on his person, matching money denominations stolen from the bank.

Assistant State Attorney Evan Chaput prosecuted the case.

Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office