Bank robber receives 5-year sentence
A Beaver County man who robbed a Cranberry Township bank in August 2019 was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in federal prison.
Michael Ryan Neppach, 41, of Patterson Township, received a 57-month sentence to be followed by three years of supervised release from U.S. Senior District Judge Nora Barry Fischer in a Zoom conference Thursday in connection with a guilty plea in December.
According to his plea, Neppach walked into the PNC Bank at the corner of Route 19 and North Boundary Road on Aug. 28, 2019, and handed the teller a note reading, “I have a gun. No bait. No dye.” He then walked away with about $1,400.
During his sentencing Thursday, Neppach cited substance abuse and underlying mental health issues as his reasons for carrying out the bank robbery, but added that such pre-existing issues did not excuse his behavior.
“This was insanity. I was out doing drugs and not taking my meds that I am now taking for my schizophrenia,” he said. “Truth be told, I don't recall a lot of the incident.”
The government requested a sentence within the sentencing guidelines of 63 to 78 months' imprisonment, but Fischer elected to give a slight variance downward from the sentence due to several mitigating factors as noted by Neppach's attorney, Stanley Greenfield, in an August court filing. Among the factors were Neppach's various mental and physical health conditions as well as the remorse he expressed during the hearing, the speed with which he admitted guilt and his guilty plea, despite the lack of a plea agreement, which she called “pretty unusual.”
“Vis-à-vis Mr. Neppach's allocution, the court would note that while Mr. Neppach spoke to the court, he appeared to be emotional at numerous points,” the judge said.
Fischer additionally recommended that Neppach be permitted to participate in the Residential Drug Abuse Program, the federal prison system's voluntary nine-month, 500-hour substance abuse treatment program that, when completed, can reduce the sentences of “nonviolent” offenders by up to one year.
The judge also recommended the Federal Bureau of Prisons give Neppach credit for time served, as he has been incarcerated in the Butler County Prison and Allegheny County Jail since Aug. 30, 2019.
