A Missouri man who was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for armed robbery of a Roseville bank in 2021 could also have been involved with a robbery at the same bank in 2017.
Federal prosecutors said Brian Cook, 59, of Vandalia, pointed what appeared to be a firearm at tellers at Citizens National Bank, 100 S. Main St., on July 31, 2021, then stole $193,000 from the bank.
He was indicted for that robbery in May 2022 and pleaded guilty a few months later.
His wife, Kimberly Cook, 59, was sentenced last year in Warren County Circuit Court to serve 3.5 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for her role in the robbery.
Chief U.S District Judge Sara Darrow said Brian Cook’s actions terrorized employees of the bank and he broke the trust and safety many find in a small-town bank, which contributed to an enhanced sentence.
She also noted the robbery was premeditated, with evidence showing he was researching the bank and surrounding area for months before the offense.
His criminal history includes 12 felony convictions for felony theft related offenses over 40 years, according to the Department of Justice.
The same Roseville bank was robbed by an armed and masked male subject on Oct. 17, 2017. Federal authorities have been involved with the investigation, but no one has been publicly named a suspect in that robbery.
Warren County State’s Attorney Tom Siegel said law enforcement suspects the Cooks in bank robberies in Illinois, Missouri, and Florida.
“It is believed they are responsible for the earlier robbery,” Siegel said in a statement to TSPR.
Siegel said the behavior and physical characteristics of the perpetrator – and the method of the crime – were similar in both robberies, but the similarities are not distinctive enough for positive identification.
He believes they are the same perpetrators.
“I don't have evidence I can present to a jury that proves that supposition beyond a reasonable doubt,” Siegel said.
Siegel said he has not been advised if federal authorities have additional information connecting the two Roseville bank robberies, or if Brian Cook gave feds information in exchange for a deal.
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