An Orlando man has been indicted on federal charges after allegedly jumping over a teller counter, pointing a pistol at two bank employees, and fleeing an Altamonte Springs bank with just $277 in hand. Kelean Lerod Cobb now faces a mandatory minimum of seven years and up to life in federal prison if he is convicted on all counts.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, Cobb entered the bank while wearing a mask and dark clothing, according to court documents, before jumping over the teller counter and pointing a dark-colored pistol at two employees. Prosecutors say he ordered one employee to open her cash drawer before fleeing with approximately $277, as reported by the WFTV. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the indictment in Orlando, per the Department of Justice.
The robbery happened on February 27 at a bank in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Investigators identified Cobb as the suspected robber, according to prosecutors, and the case was investigated jointly by the FBI, the Altamonte Springs Police Department, and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
A Second Gun Charge Surfaces Months Later
The indictment also reveals that Cobb was hit with an additional charge months after the robbery: possessing a firearm as a prohibited person on August 12, according to the Department of Justice indictment statement. Cobb is legally barred from owning a gun because of his criminal history, which includes prior convictions for robbery with a firearm, trafficking in stolen property, and aggravated fleeing and eluding law enforcement, per court records described by WFTV. The gap between the bank robbery and the newer firearm charge suggests ongoing scrutiny of Cobb by investigators in the months following the February incident.
Cobb is formally charged with bank robbery, brandishing a firearm during a violent crime, and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. An indictment is a formal accusation and does not establish guilt, and Cobb is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Why the Stakes Are So High Despite a Small Haul
The disconnect between the $277 taken and the potential punishment comes down to federal sentencing law. Under Title 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), brandishing a firearm during a federal crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years up to life in prison, and that sentence must be served consecutively to any punishment for the underlying robbery itself, according to legal analysis published by Justia. Federal bank robbery under Title 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) already carries a statutory maximum of 20 years, rising to 25 years under § 2113(d) when a dangerous weapon is used, per the Department of Justice.
That legal structure means Cobb could effectively be looking at decades behind bars even though the amount stolen was minimal — a gap prosecutors and defense attorneys alike often point to when discussing the harshness of firearm sentencing enhancements.
A Rare Crime With a High Solve Rate
Physical bank robberies have become increasingly rare nationwide. FBI bank crime statistics compiled in 2024 show robberies fell to 1,263 in 2023 — the lowest annual total recorded since before 1990 — down from 2,440 incidents in 2019, according to Hoodline's coverage of a Largo bank heist. Even as the crime has grown scarcer, it remains one of the most frequently solved violent offenses in the federal system, with law enforcement maintaining an average clearance rate of roughly 60% nationwide, per FBI bank crime tracking data.
Altamonte Springs has seen federal bank robbery prosecutions before. In October 2019, federal prosecutors indicted three individuals in connection with an armed robbery at a BB&T branch in the city, where masked gunmen forced tellers at gunpoint to open the safe and made off with roughly $22,000, according to the Department of Justice. That case, like Cobb's, involved a joint investigation by the FBI and the Altamonte Springs Police Department.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Central Florida
The Seminole County suburb, located just north of Orlando, regularly coordinates public-safety operations between local police, the county sheriff's office, and federal agencies. The city has also drawn armed-response attention this year outside the banking world; in February, police responded after a man pointed a firearm inside a Crunch Fitness location, sending members fleeing, though no injuries were reported.
Bank-related crime has also surfaced elsewhere in Central Florida in recent years. In May 2025, law enforcement arrested an Orlando resident in nearby Clermont following an attempted bank robbery and bomb threat, a case that reflected the same kind of multi-agency cooperation across county lines seen in Cobb's prosecution.
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