He pleaded guilty to charges of bank robbery and brandishing a firearm, specifically a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, during the crime. The sentencing took place on August 13, 2026, in federal court, where Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. imposed a 37-month sentence for the robbery and an additional 84 months for the firearm offense, with both sentences to be served consecutively. In the federal prison system, there is no possibility of parole.
After his prison term, Lewis-Payne will undergo five years of supervised release. According to court documents, during the robbery at i3Bank located at 15645 Spaulding Street, he brandished the handgun while demanding money from bank employees, threatening to kill them if they did not comply. The tellers were ordered to empty their cash drawers and were instructed specifically not to include dye packs, resulting in Lewis-Payne fleeing the bank with approximately $9,175 in cash.
Surveillance footage from the bank captured clear images of Lewis-Payne’s unmasked face and distinctive clothing, notably his red Nike slides, as well as the weapon he used. Additional residential surveillance cameras nearby recorded the vehicle he used in the robbery, providing identifying features and registration details. After the robbery, he was seen on surveillance footage buying shoes and clothing with the stolen money at Westroads Mall.
When law enforcement officers located him near his residence, Lewis-Payne attempted to flee, abandoning banded cash in the process. A subsequent search of his residences uncovered a currency band, the robbery vehicle, and the distinctive clothing worn during the crime. Despite initially denying his involvement, he later consented to a search of his phone, which showed that he had used ChatGPT in planning the bank robbery. His inquiries included topics such as law enforcement response times, instructions on stripping and repairing his firearm, and how to acquire ammunition as a convicted felon. Investigators also discovered searches in his Google Maps history for directions to i3Bank.
Although the firearm used in the incident remains unrecovered, authorities managed to apprehend $2,397 of the stolen amount. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and reported on by the US Department of Justice.
