Former Pittsburgh police officer sentenced for lying to FBI

A former Pittsburgh Police officer was sentenced Monday in federal court to one year of probation with 90 days of home confinement for lying to the FBI, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced.

Antoine Cain, 50, of Brookline, pleaded guilty last March to two counts of making false statements to government agents investigating an armed bank robbery at the Citizens Bank in Crafton in January 2018.

FBI investigators said Cain, a 25-year Pittsburgh police officer, knew the bank robber, Brent Richards, through a romantic relationship with the robber’s mother, Melissa Kane.

Richards, wearing a mask, used a BB gun to steal over $10,000 from the Citizens Bank on Jan. 8, 2018. He pleaded guilty to the crime last June. According to prosecutors, Richards pointed the gun at two tellers, demanded they empty their drawers, and, as he was leaving, stated: “Sorry, Happy Holidays.”

Detectives said they interviewed Cain twice in 2018, and he denied knowing who had robbed the banks. When approached a third time by detectives, Cain admitted that he did, specifically acknowledging that Richards told him he had “hit” a bank and that Kane told him that Richards had robbed the Citizens Bank.

Cain pleaded guilty last March and faced up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentence was handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.

Kane, 48, has also pleaded guilty in federal court to helping her son cover up the crime. She and Richards are awaiting sentencing.