Tennessee Man Sentenced To 70 Months For Multiple Bank Robberies

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– On February 10, 2023, Robert Z. Whipple, III, 50, currently of Crossville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 70 months in prison by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. 

As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Whipple pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with three counts of bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a).  Following his release from prison, Whipple will be on three years of supervised release, and he will be required to pay restitution to the victims.

According to the written plea agreement filed with the court, Whipple robbed a Home Federal Bank, First Horizon Bank, and Fifth Third Bank, all of which were in West Knoxville and located within the Eastern District of Tennessee.  Whipple robbed one bank each day from March 5 to March 7, 2020, and he took approximately $6,950 in total.  Whipple was finally apprehended on the evening of March 7, 2020, at a Red Roof Inn hotel in Knoxville.  During a search of Whipple’s hotel room and vehicle, law enforcement located over $4,000 in cash and several items that Whipple used to commit the bank robberies, including a wig and a demand note.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico made the announcement.

The criminal indictment was the result of a joint investigation by the Knoxville Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  This investigation was led by FBI Special Agent Wesley Leatham.

Assistant United States Attorney LaToyia Carpenter represented the United States at sentencing.  

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