A 23-year-old man from Omaha, Nebraska, Deron Lewis-Payne, has been sentenced to 121 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbing a bank at gunpoint and brandishing a firearm during the crime, with investigators saying he used ChatGPT while planning the robbery.
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Lewis-Payne was sentenced on August 13, 2026, by United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. in the District of Nebraska.
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods said the court imposed 37 months’ imprisonment for bank robbery and an additional 84 months for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, with both sentences to run consecutively.
There is no parole in the United States federal prison system. Upon completing his prison term, Lewis-Payne will also serve five years of supervised release.
According to the US Department of Justice, the robbery occurred on February 10, 2026, when Lewis-Payne entered i3Bank at 15645 Spaulding Street in Omaha armed with a black semi-automatic handgun.
He reportedly pointed the weapon at two bank employees and demanded money from their cash drawers.
“He pointed the handgun at the tellers and told them he would kill them if they did not comply,” the Justice Department said.
Lewis-Payne also warned the employees not to include dye packs with the money.
The tellers complied, and he fled the bank with approximately $9,175 in cash.
Investigators subsequently relied on surveillance footage from the bank and nearby residential properties to identify him and the vehicle used in the robbery.
Bank security cameras captured Lewis-Payne’s unmasked face, the handgun and distinctive clothing he was wearing, including a pair of red Nike slides.
Residential surveillance footage near the bank also captured the vehicle allegedly used in the robbery, including its registration plate and distinctive features such as a toolbox and identifiable rust marks.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage and transaction records from retailers at Westroads Mall, which they said showed Lewis-Payne embarking on a shopping spree after the robbery and using cash to purchase shoes and clothing.
When law enforcement officers later located him near one of his residences, he reportedly fled and abandoned banded cash as he escaped.
Searches subsequently conducted at his residences led investigators to another currency band, the vehicle used in the robbery and most of the clothing seen in the surveillance footage, including the distinctive red Nike slides.
Lewis-Payne admitted that he had driven the vehicle but initially denied participating in the bank robbery.
The investigation took another turn when he consented to a search of his mobile phone.
According to the Justice Department, investigators found information indicating that Lewis-Payne had used ChatGPT while preparing for the robbery.
“Officers examined the contents and determined Lewis-Payne used ChatGPT to plan the robbery,” the department said.
Investigators said his activity included seeking information concerning law-enforcement response times, information about a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, and ammunition.
The Justice Department also said his Google Maps history showed that he had recently searched for directions to i3Bank.
The handgun used during the robbery was never recovered.
Authorities, however, recovered $2,397 of the approximately $9,175 stolen from the bank.
Lewis-Payne subsequently pleaded guilty to bank robbery and brandishing the Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun during a crime of violence.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
His 121-month sentence comprises the 37-month term for the robbery and the mandatory consecutive 84-month sentence imposed for brandishing the firearm, after which he will remain under federal supervision for another five years.
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