A 47-year-old Lower Saucon Township man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to robbing a Hellertown bank branch in September 2018.
According to a story published Friday by Lehigh Valley Live that cites a plea memorandum in the case, Kurt Michael Laudenslager used a note that read “Simple. … Got a gun!” to intimidate a BB&T teller into handing over $2,500 before fleeing and shedding the clothes he wore during the robbery nearby.
Hellertown Police released this photo of the man who robbed the BB&T branch at 741 Main Street at around 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. He was later identified as Kurt Michael Laudenslager, 47, of Skibo Road in Lower Saucon Township, who has since pleaded guilty to the robbery in federal court.
Laudenslager carried an Airsoft gun into the Main Street bank and told authorities he committed the robbery as part of an effort to prevent his wife from finding out he had lost money gambling, the article states.
He could receive up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in October.
Laudenslager has been convicted of theft before.
In June 2013, he pleaded guilty to felony charges of theft and forgery as part of a plea bargain, county court records state.
A Hellertown Police SUV is shown parked outside the BB&T branch at 741 Main Street shortly after a robbery took place there on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Lower Saucon Township resident Kurt Michael Laudenslager, 47, was later charged with and admitted in federal court to commiting the crime to cover up gambling debts. (FILE PHOTO)