CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man who robbed a bank with an accomplice and led police on a high speed chase pled guilty on August 7, 2017, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Dante Rhodes, age 41, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of bank robbery, stemming from the March 8, 2017 robbery of the Fidelity Bank and Trust in Maquoketa.
At the plea hearing, Rhodes admitted that he robbed the Fidelity Bank and Trust. Court records show that Rhodes entered the bank and handed a note to the teller demanding money. After the robbery, Rhodes led police on a high speed chase through Dubuque, colliding with multiple vehicles.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Rhodes remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Rhodes faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $100 in special assessments, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
Gregory Stapleton, age 31, from Dubuque, has also been charged in the bank robbery. Stapleton told the Court that he intends to plead guilty to the bank robbery charge, although a plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Lightfoot and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Maquoketa Police Department, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dubuque Police Department.
