A federal jury has found an Anchorage man guilty of robbing a credit union in August 2024. Joseph Sledge, aged 30, was convicted late Friday following evidence presented at trial.
Court documents revealed that on August 12, 2024, Sledge entered a credit union in Anchorage around 11:35 a.m., informing a nearby security guard that he needed to make a withdrawal. He wore a baseball cap, grey COVID-19 facemask with a local Native corporation’s logo, flannel shirt, jeans, and a plastic Pirate Bay necklace.
Sledge walked into the lobby and was signaled over by a teller. He handed over a note demanding "$50,000 and all your cash." The teller read the note multiple times while observing Sledge silently staring before alerting co-workers with "Code Red," indicating an ongoing robbery.
The teller placed $2,500 on the counter which Sledge took along with the note before leaving.
Investigators identified the logo on Sledge’s mask and distributed images from the robbery to the Native corporation. An employee recognized him from earlier that day when he visited their office for a shareholders check but left after being told it wasn't ready. Before leaving, he took one of their masks available for members.
Sledge then went to another floor in the same building where he asked for money and snacks at a property management office but was refused and asked to leave. He subsequently fell asleep at a coffee shop on the first floor until asked to leave by security around 11:34 a.m., who then saw him heading towards the credit union.
Law enforcement arrested Sledge on August 16 along Seward Highway wearing similar attire as during the robbery. He was convicted of one count of credit union robbery.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker stated: “There’s no such thing as free money in the United States of America... Mr. Sledge used intimidation to steal from a local credit union and will now face consequences.”
Special Agent Rebecca Day remarked: "Today’s conviction demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to aggressively pursue criminals who terrorize and steal from our community."
The case was investigated by FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Miller and Alana Weber.