SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — An Omaha man now serves a nearly 22-year sentence in federal prison for two robberies of the same Sioux Falls bank.
Ferris Valentine, 54, was sentenced to 262 months in prison Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
In November of 2016 and again in November of 2017, Valentine robbed the First National Bank branch on West 26th Street. Valentine had a partner in the 2016 robbery but acted alone in the 2017 robbery.
Valentine and his partner stole $278,000 in the robberies. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured the funds.
Immediately following sentencing, Valentine was turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Below is the news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
—–
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that an Omaha, Nebraska, man convicted of two counts of Bank Robbery was sentenced on June 1, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Ferris Valentine, age 54, was sentenced to 262 months in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, restitution to First National Bank of $217,966, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund of $200.
A federal grand jury indicted valentine on August 6, 2019. He was found guilty due to a federal jury trial in Sioux Falls on March 3, 2020.
On November 15, 2016, Valentine, aided by a partner, robbed the First National Bank branch bank located on West 26th Street in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The day before the robbery, Valentine rented a car in Omaha, Nebraska, and drove to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with his accomplice. When they robbed the bank, each wore a mask covering their faces. Valentine was armed with a handgun and demanded the bank employees give him the money in the teller drawers and the vault. Both robbers left the bank before the police arrived.
On November 24, 2017, Valentine robbed the same bank again, but without a partner. He wore the same mask and once again, used a firearm to order the bank employees to comply. He grabbed money from the vault and escaped.
After the second robbery, a DNA match connected Valentine’s partner to the first bank robbery, which subsequently led to the charges against Valentine.
The total monies taken from the bank robberies amounted to around $278,000. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured first National Bank’s deposits.
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy R. Jehangiri and Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Valentine was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
