Serial Bank Robber; Repeat Violent Offender Sentenced

Posted on 7/30/2021

Defendant:

Mario Cunningham of Columbus was sentenced July 30th, 2021 as a result of being convicted of four counts of robbery after a rash of bank robberies in 2018, with an added specification due to being a repeat violent offender. Cunningham, 45, robbed a Heartland Bank on 2 November 2018, threatening the establishment with a fake bomb before demanding money from the teller. Cunningham later robbed a Chase Bank branch on 9 November 2018 after walking into the branch and threatening multiple tellers as well as a customer. Finally, on 14 November 2018, Cunningham robbed a PNC Bank, claiming that he had a gun, demanded money from a teller, and threatened to kill the security guard if the teller didn’t act quickly.

“The Columbus Police Department is to be commended for an excellent investigation, as are the victims and witnesses for recounting those terrifying moments. This defendant will now rightfully face a sentence commensurate not only with the current crimes involving a threat to detonate a bomb at one bank and shoot everyone inside at another, but also a criminal history of robbery convictions dating back to the early 1990s – 24 years in prison,” stated Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Steven Schott of the Major Crimes Unit.