US MAN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR USING CHATGPT TO PLAN BANK ROBBERY

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By:Tajudeen Aminat

A 23-year-old man from Omaha, Nebraska, who used ChatGPT while planning a bank robbery has been sentenced to 121 months in federal prison after robbing a bank at gunpoint and threatening two employees with death.

Deron Lewis-Payne was sentenced on August 13, 2026, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska in a statement issued on August 19 and cited by our correspondent on Monday.

The US Justice Department said Lewis-Payne received 37 months for the bank robbery and an additional 84 months for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The sentences will run consecutively. He will also spend five years under supervised release following his imprisonment.

The robbery occurred on February 10 when Lewis-Payne entered i3Bank in Omaha armed with a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded money from two employees.

He reportedly pointed the gun at the tellers and threatened to kill them if they failed to comply. He also instructed them to empty their cash drawers and warned them against including dye packs with the money.

The employees complied, allowing Lewis-Payne to flee with about $9,175 in cash.

Investigators later identified him through surveillance footage from the bank and nearby residential cameras. The bank’s cameras captured his unmasked face and distinctive clothing, including red Nike slides, while residential footage showed the vehicle used in the robbery and its registration plate.

Investigators subsequently examined Lewis-Payne’s phone and discovered that he had used ChatGPT in preparing for the robbery.

According to the Justice Department, his queries included questions about law enforcement response times, how to “strip and repair” a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, and how to obtain ammunition despite being a convicted felon.

His Google Maps history also showed that he had searched for directions to i3Bank shortly before the robbery.

Following the robbery, Lewis-Payne reportedly went on a shopping spree at Westroads Mall, where he used some of the stolen cash to buy shoes and clothing.

When officers later located him near one of his residences, he fled, abandoning some of the stolen cash. A search of his residences led to the recovery of another currency band, the vehicle allegedly used in the robbery and most of the clothing he wore during the incident, including the red Nike slides.

Lewis-Payne admitted to driving the vehicle but denied taking part in the robbery.

The handgun used in the robbery has not been recovered, while investigators retrieved $2,397 of the $9,175 stolen from the bank.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. The Justice Department also noted that federal inmates are not eligible for parole.