MINNEAPOLIS—This week in federal court, a 51-year-old Minneapolis man was indicted for robbing four separate banks out of more than $13,000 in total. Phillip Leo Nietz was charged with four counts of bank robbery.
The indictment alleges that on August 14, 2012, Nietz stole $1,047 from a teller at a U.S. Bank in Roseville. On August 22, 2012, Nietz allegedly stole $3,794 from a teller at TCF Bank in Minneapolis. Nietz purportedly stole $7,389 from a Wells Fargo bank in St. Paul on August 28, 2012, and $1,045 from a U.S. Bank in St. Paul on September 13, 2012.
If convicted, Nietz faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. All sentences are ultimately determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.
An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
