A Cleveland man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after being convicted of armed bank robbery and using a firearm during a violent crime. Joel Alonte Travis, 21, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent on August 14, following his conviction by a federal jury in April.
According to court records, the incident occurred on October 16, 2024, at a Chase Bank in South Euclid, Ohio. A service technician was ambushed while working on a drive-thru ATM just before noon. Two masked men exited a Hyundai Sonata and confronted the technician. One of them pressed a gun to the back of the victim’s head and demanded that he remove cash cassettes from the ATM. The robbers stole five cassettes containing about $112,440 before fleeing the scene.
Authorities determined that Travis was on probation for an unrelated offense and under electronic monitoring at the time of the robbery. Investigators used location data to connect him to the crime scene. During a search of his apartment, law enforcement recovered three firearms—one resembling the weapon seen in surveillance footage—and photographs showing Travis holding large amounts of cash posted on social media.
Travis was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment and pay $112,440 in restitution.
The investigation involved several agencies including the FBI Cleveland Division, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Cleveland Heights Police Department, and South Euclid Police Department.
“This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Cleveland Heights Police Department, and South Euclid Police Department,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle M. Baeppler and Kristen Rolph for the Northern District of Ohio.
