McHenry Co. Man Admits to Bank, Cash Store Robberies

A McHenry County man pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala to four charges of robbery.

Shawn M. Rank, 47, of Woodstock, admitted in a plea agreement to robbing Heartland Bank and Trust Company, 327 W. Main St., Genoa, on Jan. 15, 2016; the Cash Store, 1479 N. State St., Belvidere, on April 1, 2016; Harvard Savings Bank, 58 N. Ayer St., Harvard, on May 6, 2016; and Alpine Bank, 600 S. State St., Belvidere, on June 13, 2016, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Illinois news release.

Rank to walking directly to a teller’s station at the Heartland Bank and Trust Company in Genoa at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2016, pushing a blue zippered bank bag across the counter and telling the teller to fill it with 50-dollar and 100-dollar bills. Rank opened his jacket and showed a gun to the teller, according to a news release from the FBI. The teller placed $1,250 in the bank bag.

In addition, Rank admitted in the plea agreement that in the Cash Store robbery he walked up to an employee standing at the counter and told the employee it was a robbery, according to authorities. The employee placed $1,232 in a blue bank bag.

Rank also admitted to a similar robbery at Harvard Savings Bank where he placed a blue zippered bag on the counter, displayed a gun, and demanded that the teller give him money, according to a news release. The teller handed $2,700 to Rank.

Rank also admitted that he robbed Alpine Bank in Belvidere, again using a blue zippered bag, according to authorities. When Rank demanded money, the teller then gave him $1,790 from her drawer.

On each count, Rank faces up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing has been set for June 29.