SCRANTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert Wazny, age 33, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to a term of 84 months’ imprisonment for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence – bank robbery.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Wazny pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm during the bank robbery at an M&T Bank located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on July 23, 2021. During the robbery, Wazny pointed a 12-gauge shotgun at employees, demanding cash. After the robbery, Wazny fled the area in a vehicle while in high-speed pursuit by local officers. Wazny crashed his vehicle into a pole and fled on foot with a backpack containing the cash from the bank robbery. Police quickly apprehended him, took him into custody, seized the backpack, recovering the cash from the bank. Police also recovered a single-shot Sears and Roebuck 12-gauge shotgun and three buckshot shells from the crash location.
This case was jointly investigated by the FBI in Scranton and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
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