Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Gainesville Bank
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – Patrick Shane Johnson, 51, of Gainesville, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to bank robbery and bank theft. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Another successful prosecution under Operation Take Back America means one less violent criminal on our streets threatening our public safety. Great work by the Gainesville Police Department to quickly apprehend this offender, and great work by my office to aggressively prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.”
Court documents reveal that on August 27, 2025, the defendant entered a Wells Fargo bank on Archer Road and passed a note to a teller. The note read, “This is no joke, it is an armed bank robbery. All of the money now I am armed.” The defendant grabbed over $1,000 cash and fled. The Gainesville Police Department responded and immediately apprehended the defendant.
Johnson faces up to 50 years’ imprisonment upon sentencing, which is scheduled for April 28, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor
The case involved a joint investigation by the Gainesville Police Department and the Federal Burau of Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Contact
United States Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Florida
USAFLN.Press.Office@usdoj.gov
X: @USAO_NDFL
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida
