Illinois man convicted of robbing 2 banks in St. Louis

By CNN Newsource

Published September 17, 2021 12:57 PM

By Stephanie Baumer

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — An Illinois man has been convicted of robbing two banks in the City of St. Louis.

A jury found Briran Blake, 30, of Jefferson County, Illinois, guilty of two counts of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The trial started on Tuesday and the verdict was announced on Friday. Sentencing will be held on December 15, 2021. Blake faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

According to police, Blake entered a Regions Bank on Hampton Avenue on June 9, 2017 and handed the teller a note. He left the bank with nearly $2,000 in cash. Then, on June 22, he reportedly entered a Regions Bank on South Broadway, he showed a gun while handing the teller a note. He was able to escape the second robbery with over $4,200 in cash.

Blake was indicted in August 2019 after authorities did an analysis of the demand notes and the St. Louis Police Department’s Crime Laboratory identified him as a suspect.

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