GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Three robberies to pay off delinquent rent and his girlfriend’s debts has put a 56-year-old man in prison.
A federal judge this week sentenced Gilbert Chrispin Noel, Jr. to three years in prison for robbing two Kent County credit unions and a bank in Barry County. His total haul was nearly $22,500.
In addition to prison and three years on supervised release, U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Maloney ordered Noel to pay back the stolen money.
Money from the 2019 robberies was used to pay off his overdue rent and his girlfriend’s debts, court records show.
“He was not armed and he never indicated that he was,’’ defense attorney David L. Kaczor wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “He did not threaten anyone and he used the proceeds to pay off delinquent rent, among other items of necessity.’’
Kaczor described Noel as an “extremely hard-working individual who found himself in a very unnerving situation.’’
“To say that Mr. Noel’s involvement in the robberies is completely out of character for him is a huge understatement,’’ Kaczor wrote.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin K. Lane said the robberies committed by Noel “put himself and everyone inside that building at risk.’’
“The sentence in this case should seek to deter the defendant from further criminal activity and also serve to generally deter others who may consider robbing financial institutions to lessen their financial stress,’’ Lane wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
The first robbery occurred Feb. 14, 2019 at the Lake Michigan Credit Union on 44th Street SW near Byron Center Avenue in Wyoming. A man wearing a black ski mask entered the branch about 9:40 a.m. and implied he had a weapon, police said at the time. He fled with more than $4,600.
The second robbery took place on June 11, 2019 at a Lake Michigan Credit Union branch on 68th Street SW near Clyde Park Avenue in Kent County’s Byron Township.
Police at the time said the suspect entered the branch about 3 p.m. and implied he had a weapon. He was wearing sunglasses and had his face concealed with a bandanna. More than $13,900 was taken.
The final hold-up attributed to Noel occurred Nov. 26, 2019 at a Chemical Bank branch in Middleville that netted more than $3,900. Noel was arrested the following day.
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