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Chicago man convicted in Kalamazoo-area bank robberies

Posted at 5:00 PM, Jan 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-19 17:01:53-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A Chicago man has been convicted in federal court of three Kalamazoo-area bank robberies.

Dominick Johnson, 33, was convicted Tuesday on seven charges, including armed bank robbery, conspiracy and brandishing a firearm during a crime.  He faces a minimum of 67 years in federal prison at sentencing.

According to trial documents, Johnson planned and served as the get-away driver for three bank robberies:

  • May 29, 2014 at the PNC Bank in Galesburg
  • July 29, 2014 at the Comerica Bank in Comstock Township
  • January 8, 2015 at the Old National Bank in Oshtemo Township

Johnson’s half-brother, Nathan Benson, previously pleaded guilty for his roles in the robberies.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that Benson brandished a loaded firearm at bank employees in all three robberies and forced employees into the vault on two occasions.

There were also three planned bank robberies by the duo that were unsuccessful. Two were disrupted by law enforcement and one was prevented by a traffic crash.