A 64-year-old St. Louis man, Jeffery Alexander, was given a substantial prison sentence Tuesday for his involvement in a 2022 Florissant bank robbery. U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel ordered Alexander to serve 138 months after he pleaded guilty in February to charges of bank robbery, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri.
Alexander admitted to carrying out the robbery at a bank located in the 1000 block of North Highway 67 on April 13, 2022. During the heist, he pointed a handgun at bank employees and forced a teller to quickly fill a bag with money. His disguise included a dark rain poncho, a mask, and blue nitrile gloves. As he left the scene, a witness attempted to follow him; however, Alexander fired a gunshot at the witness' vehicle to make his escape.
The Florissant Police Department and the FBI swiftly apprehended Alexander in a neighborhood roughly two miles from the crime scene. Police discovered him sitting in his Dodge Ram truck with the stolen funds, his disguise, and a Hi-Point .40-caliber pistol. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley M. Walker, who saw the conviction through the United States District Court in St. Louis.
Prior to his most recent offense, Alexander had a significant criminal record, including a 20-year prison sentence for a 1981 armed robbery in Illinois and a subsequent 55-year sentence for a second armed robbery conviction in the same state. His lengthy history of criminal behavior appeared to only have been interrupted by his stints in incarceration.
