2 years in prison for man who faked having a bomb during Lombard bank robbery
A man who strapped fireworks to himself to simulate a bomb has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for robbing a Lombard bank.
Judge Franklin Valderrama pronounced the sentence Tuesday for Jason Bradley, 37, of Villa Park.
Bradley pleaded guilty in May to robbing a West Suburban Bank branch on Oct. 4, 2021. He showed a note saying, "I need everything from your drawer or WE ALL DIE!" to the branch manager. He then unzipped his jacket, revealing a device strapped to his waist. It had four fireworks wired together to resemble a bomb. He took about $800, according to the FBI.
Prosecutors initially recommended sentencing Bradley to no more than 18 months in prison.
According to presentencing documents, Bradley was suicidal at the time of the robbery and said he did it as "a way to make himself go away." He sent a text message to his wife on the day of the robbery that said he would be better off in prison than dead, according to the documents.
Since then, he has been taking medication for depression and attending substance-abuse-recovery support meetings, according to a presentencing report.
But while he was out on bond, Bradley was arrested in August on an aggravated DUI charge in Grundy County. Federal prosecutors then changed their sentencing request, asking for 41 to 51 months.