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Joseph Donelson Jr. Sentenced to 76 Years for 2023 Chicago Bank Robberies

A federal court sentenced Joseph Donelson Jr. to 76 years in prison for robbing or attempting to rob four downtown Chicago banks in 2023 while on supervised release.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 31, 2026, 4:20 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Sep 4, 2026, 10:22 p.m. ET
Joseph Donelson Jr. was to on August 31, 2026, according to abc7chicago.com. The sentence was handed down in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as stated in an official court record. Donelson had been accused of violently robbing, or trying to rob, four banks in downtown Chicago in 2023 while on supervised release, abc7chicago.com reported. The charges stemmed from a case brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with the FBI also involved in the investigation, according to the official record. The court record lists the charges as bank robbery. The sentence was announced on September 5, 2026, by abc7chicago.com.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 31, 2026, 4:22 p.m. ET

    Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Robbing Two Banks in One Day

    PHILADELPHIA – Khalil Lee, 47, of Philadelphia, was sentenced on August 31, 2026, to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $2,015 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond.

    Lee pleaded guilty in April to the June 2, 2025, robberies of two Citizens Bank branches in Philadelphia. He also admitted to an attempted robbery and another robbery committed later that year. The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski.

  2. Aug 31, 2026, 4:20 p.m. ETFirst report

    Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Robbing Two Banks in One Day

    PHILADELPHIA – Khalil Lee, 47, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $2,015 in restitution for robbing two banks on the same day, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on August 31, 2026.

    Lee pleaded guilty in April to the June 2, 2025, robberies of Citizens Bank branches on the 2000 block of South Broad Street and the 8000 block of Germantown Avenue. He also admitted to an attempted robbery of a Citizens Bank branch on the 6000 block of Ridge Avenue on July 28, 2025, and the robbery of a WSFS Bank branch on the 5800 block of Ridge Avenue later that day.

    The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski.

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Revision history

  1. Version 131 Aug 2026, 20:22current

    First published.

  2. Version 131 Aug 2026, 20:20current

    First published.

  3. Version 15 Sept 2026, 02:22current

    First published.

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