Two guilty in bank heists

Two Spokane men pleaded guilty to bank robbery charges in federal court Monday, more than a year after three local branches were hit in the span of a week.

Charles D. West, 51, and Scott E. Ruziecki, 41, were arrested by police in August 2013, shortly after three supermarket bank branches were robbed under similar circumstances. West was arrested Aug. 13, and initially declined to cooperate with investigators, saying he knew what would happen to “snitches” in jail, according to court documents. Ruziecki was picked up three days later attempting to flee a home through an attic vent during a SWAT standoff, according to court documents.

Following his arrest, Ruziecki acknowledged participating in the three robberies. The first branch, a Banner Bank location inside a grocery store at 3919 N. Market St., was robbed Aug. 9. Ruziecki said he also struck the U.S. Bank branch at 8851 E. Trent Ave. on Aug. 12, and the Banner Bank branch at 933 E. Mission Ave. on Aug. 16. Those banks were also inside supermarkets, and in each holdup the robber handed the teller a note demanding money or people would get hurt, according to court documents.

Physical evidence also tied Ruziecki to the robbed bank branches. West was taken into custody driving a van containing clothing matching suspect descriptions provided by witnesses and surveillance video. So-called “bait cash” with marked serial numbers from one of the banks robbed was also found in the van, according to court records.

Ruziecki later told police that West taught him how to pull off bank robberies, according to court documents. West, a six-time convicted felon, has served two prison sentences of more than five years for robbing banks. Ruziecki has been found guilty of six misdemeanors as an adult.

West pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery for his involvement in the Aug. 9 and Aug. 12 incidents. Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 10 years in prison at a sentencing hearing tentatively scheduled for December. Ruziecki pleaded guilty to three counts of bank robbery, including the Banner Bank branch hit Aug. 16, after West’s arrest.

Prosecutors will recommend the low-end of the sentence guideline range for Ruziecki, meaning the 41-year-old will likely spend at least four years in prison. Ruziecki’s sentencing is also scheduled for December.

Roughly $4,200 in cash was taken in the three robberies, according to court records.