The United States Attorney's Office announced that Jonathan Wayne Lanaute of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for bank robbery. U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick handed down the sentence. On completion of his imprisonment, Lanaute will be subjected to three years of supervised release and must make restitution of $20,000.
According to details from his guilty plea, on May 3, 2024, Lanaute entered the United Community Bank on Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge. He delivered a note to a bank teller demanding money, with a threatening message: “give me all the money in the cash resgister [sic] before everybody die in here.” To avoid harm, the bank teller began dispensing $100 bills which Lanaute collected before fleeing with $20,000 in cash.
Surveillance footage identified Lanaute wearing a grey sweatshirt and a black Saints baseball cap. He left the scene in a dark grey Mitsubishi Lancer, a vehicle reported stolen the night before the robbery. Law enforcement soon identified this vehicle in proximity to the United Community Bank and confirmed Lanaute as the driver.
When officers attempted to stop him, Lanaute led the police on a high-speed chase, eventually crashing head-on into another vehicle. Following this, he fled on foot but was quickly apprehended. Approximately $8,207.89 was found on him at the time of arrest.
The investigation of the case was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baton Rouge Police Department, and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Lundin Craig.