A Pasadena man was sentenced for a series of bank robberies culminating in an armed robbery at a Pasadena bank where he brandished a shotgun and placed it to the side of a bank employee’s head.
Shownee Shon Smith, 41, was sentenced to over 10 years in prison by U.S District Judge Percy Anderson for robbing a Wells Fargo Bank branch in East Pasadena while armed with a loaded shotgun. In addition to the prison term, Smith was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $20,285 in restitution to the victimized banks.
On June 10, 2017, Pasadena Police Department officers responded to alarms and a 911 call from inside the Wells Fargo branch and arrested Smith immediately after he exited the bank.
According to court records, Smith committed six bank robberies between May 15 and June 10, 2017. Smith was also charged with robbing a US Bank branch in Burbank and a Wells Fargo in South Pasadena on May 15, Chase Bank in East Pasadena on May 20, Chase Bank in North Hollywood and Citibank in Tarzana both on May 27. Prior to the Wells Fargo robbery on June 10, Smith had allegedly used notes to demand money from bank employees. The case against Smith is the result of an investigation by the FBI, which received substantial assistance from the Pasadena Police Department, the South Pasadena Police Department, the Burbank Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Santa Monica Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn Small of the General Crimes Section.
