A 66-year-old Cuyahoga County man, Mason Hart of Euclid, has pleaded guilty in federal court to bank robbery after terrorizing employees with a bomb threat. U.S. District Judge Charles Esque Fleming accepted Hart's plea.
According to court documents, on February 17, Hart entered the Fifth Third Bank on Lakeshore Boulevard in Euclid around 1 p.m. He handed a demand note to a teller, stating, "I HAVE A BOMB IN THE BOX ITS REMOTE CONTROL ACTAUATE DO AS I SAY AND NOBODY WILL GET HURT," while placing a taped shoebox on the counter. The teller complied, handing over $920 in United States currency, after which Hart fled the bank on foot before being apprehended later.
Hart is scheduled for sentencing on November 10 and faces a potential prison sentence of up to 57 months. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI Cleveland Division investigated the case, which Assistant United States Scott Zarzycki is prosecuting for the Northern District of Ohio.