Prison sentence handed down. (Source: Shutterstock)
A California federal judge sentenced a South Los Angeles man to five years and three months in prison for robbing five credit union branches during the summer of 2018 and two additional credit union branches in May 2019 while he was free on bond awaiting a jury trial for the robberies he committed last year.
U.S. District Court Judge André Birotte Jr. in Los Angeles also ordered 33-year-old Trayvon McNutt last week to pay $24,930 in restitution to the credit unions. The California man pleaded guilty in August to six counts of bank robbery and attempted bank robbery.
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McNutt's crime spree began on June 29, 2018, when he attempted to rob a Wells Fargo branch in Lynwood, Calif. But he was scared off empty handed after the teller pressed the robbery alarm button.
After that failed attempted robbery, he targeted three credit unions over the next few months and robbed the same branch of two credit unions twice, according to federal prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles.
On June 30, he robbed a Gardena, Calif., branch of the $4.5 billion Kinecta Federal Credit Union and robbed it again on Sept. 4.
On July 17, McNutt robbed the Carson, Calif., branch of the $3.1 billion California Credit Union, and then hit it again on Sept. 26. He also robbed the California CU Torrance branch on July 31, according to court documents.
FBI agents finally caught up with McNutt in October and arrested him. While they searched his residence, they found bait bills, which financial institutions use to trace bank robbers. He was indicted on bank robbery charges and pleaded not guilty. He was free on bond while awaiting his jury trial, which was rescheduled at least three times from November 2018 to May 2019, according to the federal docket.
On May 1, McNutt robbed the Hawthorne, Calif., branch of Kinecta, but he got away with only $20, according to court documents. On May 6, he hit the Hawthorne branch of the $4 billion Wescom Credit Union.
Later that month, FBI agents arrested McNutt again. He has been in federal custody since then.
Of the $24,930 McNutt stole from the credit unions, federal authorities retrieved $2,115.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
