A 46-year-old Colorado Springs man will spend the next 21 years in federal prison after he robbed four banks across the Front Range in 2020 and 2021. 

Jared L. Fitzgerald was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday after he previously pleaded guilty to four counts of bank robbery, including one with force, last December, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. 

Teen found dead in southwest Denver was shot, stabbed, beaten

Fitzgerald will also be on supervised released for five years after being released from federal prison. 

“Bank robberies are crimes of violence that traumatize the victims, and we are dedicated to seeking justice for those victims,” U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan said in a news release. “We are grateful for our partners at the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task force for their work and commitment to hold bank robbers accountable.”

According to the plea agreement, Fitzgerald entered a MidFirst Bank branch in Denver on July 24, 2020, while wearing a face covering and yellow hard hat. 

Fitzgerald approached a bank teller and gave them a note stating the branch was being robbed. He then told three employees “there is a problem. The problem is you’re being robbed,” and revealed a handgun in his waistband, according to court documents.

The employees were ordered to go to the vault, where Fitzgerald began yelling at them. At this time, one employee “feared they would be shot,” according to a news release. 

Fitzgerald took an undisclosed amount of money once the vault was opened and ordered the employees to stay inside before he fled the area. 

Denver police investigators tell community no 'additional threats' following 14-year-old's death

Several months later, he robbed the same bank again and approached the teller with a gun in hand. He ordered the employees to access the vault room and forced them inside with him, and said “If the cops come, there will be a shootout,” according to the plea agreement.

Fitzgerald took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the area.

In April 2021, Fitzgerald robbed the Power Credit Union on East Evans Avenue in Pueblo after he gave the branch’s manager a robbery note that threatened the employees, according to the agreement. 

Fitzgerald ordered the employees to go the credit union’s vault and open it. At this time, he told the employee he would take them hostage if authorities showed up.

The employee opened the vault, and Fitzgerald took the cash and fled the area.

On July 20, 2021, Fitzgerald committed his fourth bank robbery at a Wells Fargo in Wheat Ridge. 

During this incident, Fitzgerald was armed with a semi-automatic handgun that was holstered but visible to the branch’s employees. He asked to speak to the manager about fraudulent checks and identified himself as a law enforcement official, according to the plea agreement. 

Fitzgerald gave the branch’s manager a note that stated he was robbing the branch and was armed. He ordered the employees to the vault and directed the manager put money into a bag he brought.

After receiving the money, he fled the area.

Fitzgerald was apprehended by authorities on July 26, 2021, through a coordinated effort with his probation officer as he had outstanding warrants, according to court records.

Armed man in custody after pointing gun at Denver police

Authorities identified Fitzgerald as the suspect for these robberies after they recovered a notepad with his employer information on it at the scene of one of the robberies and information regarding an Apple MacBook computer that was located in his residence during a search warrant, according to court documents. 

“Jared Lincoln Fitzgerald committed four takeover-style robberies, all while he was under supervision for previous bank robberies,” Michael Schneider, FBI Denver Special Agent said in a news release. “Fitzgerald clearly knew the consequences of his actions and still chose to break the law and terrorize his victims. This lengthy sentence is appropriate for this defendant; keeping him behind bars helps keep our communities safe.”