Man Sentenced to 10 Years for ChatGPT Bank Robbery

Deron Lewis-Payne, a 23-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison on August 13, 2026, for robbing i3Bank at gunpoint on February 10. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska reported that Lewis-Payne received 37 months for bank robbery and 84 months for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, with the sentences running consecutively.

He threatened bank employees with death while demanding cash, escaping with approximately $9,175. Investigators identified him through surveillance footage and discovered he had used ChatGPT to plan the robbery, including queries about law enforcement response times and obtaining ammunition as a felon.

After the robbery, he spent the stolen cash on a shopping spree. Lewis-Payne was later apprehended, and while he admitted to driving the vehicle used in the robbery, he denied participating in the crime.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.