Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to robbing downtown bank, attempted to rob another
A Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty in federal court to bank robbery and attempted bank robbery charges.
Timothy Sowinski, 53, admitted to the crimes before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon, federal officials announced Wednesday.
Officials said Sowinski entered the Northwest Bank on Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh on March 12, 2018.
He handed a note to the teller that said he had a gun and wanted cash. The teller gave an undisclosed amount of money to Sowinski, who then took off. No injuries were reported.
Two days later, Sowinski entered the PNC Bank on Walnut Street in Pittsburgh two days later and handed a similar note to a teller.
However, officials said the the worker there did not understand what Sowinski wanted, and another teller activated an alarm. Sowinski then fled the scene without any money.
City police and the FBI investigated and Sowinski was later arrested.
His sentencing is scheduled for June 1.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.