Illinois man gets 4 years for bank robberies

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for robbing two banks of nearly $30,000.

The Rockford Register Star reports that 25-year-old Demontrion Phillips previously pleaded guilty to bank robbery with a dangerous weapon and bank robbery.

During Friday's sentencing hearing, Phillips told U.S. District Judge John Tharp Jr. that he was trying to support his three children and their mother.

Federal authorities have said Phillips used a pellet gun during one of the 2017 robberies. They said during the second robbery, Phillips gave a bank employee a note saying he was stalking her and threatened to kill her.

Phillips' attorney Mark Byrd says his client obtained his GED while jailed in Winnebago County and has learned that poverty is not an excuse for committing crime.