Man Robbed Same Sioux Falls Bank Twice, Gets 22 Years

There is a famous 80s movie quote that goes, "Greed is good." In the case of a Nebraska man who was convicted of robbing the same bank twice, greed is getting him over two decades in prison.

Imagine the trauma of being a bank employee during the first robbery and then being on duty a year later when the same guy comes back for more.

54-year-old Ferris Valentine of Omaha robbed the same Sioux Falls bank twice, according to Dakota News Now. Valentine was sentenced to almost 22 years in federal prison on Tuesday.

Get our free mobile app

According to prosecutors, on November 16, 2016, Valentine and an accomplice robbed the First National Bank branch near West 26th Street and South Sertoma Avenue. They say Valentine was holding a pistol when he demanded bank employees give him the money in the teller drawers and vault. Valentine and the accomplice were able to flee the bank before the police arrived.

Valentine wasn't done with just one. Prosecutors say that on November 24, 2017, almost a year to the day later, Valentine robbed the same bank, but this time he was solo. He stole a total of $278,000 with both robberies combined.

Valentine was caught after the second robbery due to a DNA match that connected Valentine to his partner in the first robbery. Investigators were able to use that evidence to file charges against Valentine. The accomplice is serving a two-year sentence for his role in this robbery.

A federal grand jury indicted Valentine in August 2019 and he was found guilty in a federal jury trial in Sioux Falls in February of 2021.

After Valentine serves his 262-month sentence, he will face an additional five years of supervised release and he must pay $217,966 in restitution to First National Bank.

The bank branch that was robbed was closed and is now occupied by an orthodontist.