Mo. man faces years in prison after conviction of 2022 Shawnee bank robbery

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WIBW) - A Missouri man now faces years in prison after he was convicted of making off with nearly $3,000 during a 2022 bank robbery in Shawnee.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas announced that on Friday, Nov. 17, Richard Ruston, 53, of Independence, Mo., was convicted of the robbery of a Shawnee bank.

Court documents and evidence presented at trial show Ruston had entered the First Interstate Bank on Shawnee Mission Pkwy. on July 20, 2022. He flashed what a bank teller believed to be a gun and demanded money.

Law enforcement officials noted that Ruston made off with nearly $3,000 in cash.

“Richard Ruston subjected people, who were trying to earn an honest living, to unimaginable terror and angst because he chose criminal means to obtain money,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher. “Fortunately, due to the excellent investigation by law enforcement and the solid case presented by prosecutors, the evidence convinced a federal jury of Ruston’s guilty, and a judge will determine the appropriate sentence for his crime.”

Officials indicated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Shawnee Police Department, Merriam Police Department and Kansas City, Mo., Police Department all investigated as Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug prosecuted.

Under state and federal law, those convicted of aggravated robbery face between 2 and 20 years in prison.