Three bank robbers sentenced in federal court for Palo Savings Bank robbery

Three bank robbers nabbed within minutes of robbing Palo Savings Bank last May were sentenced to prison Tuesday in federal court.

Lance Monden, 33, of Cedar Rapids, Stanley Mosley, 36, of Coralville, and Katherine Pihl, 39, of Tiffin, each pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery last August in U.S. District Court. Monden was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to serve three years of supervised release following prison time; Mosley was sentenced to 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release; and Pihl was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of supervised release.

Evidence at sentencing and previous hearings shows the three robbed the Palo bank about 2:35 p.m. on May 20. Monden and Mosley went into the bank wearing black masks and hoodies. The men yelled at employees in the bank and went to each teller drawer, taking cash. Monden and Mosley were in the bank about one minute before running out the door, court records show.

Pihl was the getaway driver, waiting outside for the men in Ford Taurus, according to a Linn County Sheriff report. After the three left the bank, Monden and Mosley got into the trunk of the vehicle. Pihl then drove out of Palo and south towards Cedar Rapids.

Witnesses, who called 911, told authorities they saw Monden and Mosley running from the bank wearing masks and then saw the Taurus leaving the area, court documents show. About seven minutes after the bank robbery, a deputy stopped the vehicle, near Rogers Road, and found Monden and Mosley hiding in the trunk during the search of the Taurus.

Deputies also recovered all the stolen cash in the trunk of the car and on Monden and Mosley.

Monden and Mosley remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal until they are transferred to a federal prison. Pihl was released on conditions of release previously set and ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on Dec. 26.

Mosley had a previous conviction for bank robbery about eight years ago, according to court records. Mosley, at the time, was arrested when he was found under a foot bridge after robbing Freedom Security Bank in Coralville. Mosley was released from prison July 29, 2015, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections, and was on work release until last February.

Pihl has a variety of criminal charges but no felonies, and Monden has a previous conviction for drugs, according to Iowa court records.

l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com