Akron man gets more than 11 years for bank robberies in Canal Fulton, Cuyahoga Falls
A 28-year-old Akron man has been sentenced to serve 11 years and five months in federal prison for robbing banks in Canal Fulton and Cuyahoga Falls.
U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan sentenced Jacob K. Onusic on July 31 in federal court in Cleveland after he pleaded guilty to the robberies, as well as possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He was ordered to pay $142,700 in restitution, pay a $300 special assessment, and serve three years of supervised release following imprisonment.
According to court documents, the first robbery occurred July 14, 2022, when Onusic entered the Peoples Bank on State Road in Cuyahoga Falls dressed in all black with a cap covering his hair and a blue medical mask.
He asked to open an account. When he was taken to meet with a teller, he told the teller to place her hands on the desk and if she moved her hands he would “blow her head off.” Onusic then ordered other tellers to lock the front door, open the vault and place the money in a trash bag he provided. All the tellers complied.
Onusic told one teller to empty her personal bag so he could place the stolen $142,700 inside it. He then ordered the tellers to get on the ground until he was gone.
The second robbery occurred Aug. 26, 2022, when Onusic entered the Apple Creek Bank Co. in Canal Fulton, wearing a wig and multiple masks. He asked to open an account.
When he was told he did not have the correct paperwork, he asked about getting a safe deposit box. As bank employees were taking him to the safe deposit box area, Onusic demanded they open the vault, which a teller opened.
Once the vault was opened, Onusic demanded the money in the vault, then ordered all the bank employees inside the vault. He left the bank with $57,234 and drove away.
When law enforcement tried to stop Onusic’s vehicle, he tried to flee and eventually crashed his vehicle in Akron. He then fled on foot. Onusic hid in a shed in the backyard of a home. He assaulted an Akron police officer and an Akron police dog handler as law enforcement attempted to take him into custody, authorities said.
Inside Onusic's vehicle, law enforcement found the $57,234, the wig Onusic wore during the robbery, a loaded firearm and ammunition.
At sentencing, the judge ordered the defendant to forfeit his interest in a gold and diamond necklace he bought for $8,500, which was seized on Aug. 26, 2022, and a 9mm pistol, also seized the same day.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Cuyahoga Falls police.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @nmolnarTR
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jacob Onusic sentenced for Canal Fulton, Cuyahoga Falls bank robberies
