A 23-year-old man in Omaha, Nebraska, is sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for an armed bank robbery he prepared in part by using ChatGPT. Deron Lewis-Payne receives 37 months for bank robbery and a consecutive 84 months for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska. He is also ordered to serve five years of supervised release afterward, with no parole in the federal system.
The robbery occurs on February 10, 2026, when Lewis-Payne enters an i3Bank branch carrying a handgun, threatens tellers, and demands they empty cash drawers, telling them not to use dye packs. Investigators say he flees with about $9,175. Surveillance footage and nearby residential video reportedly help identify him. Afterward, he is alleged to go on a shopping spree, and law enforcement later finds cash bands, the vehicle, and clothing associated with the crime during searches of his residences, while the handgun is not recovered.
Across the outlets provided, the core facts are consistent: Lewis-Payne pleads guilty, is sentenced on August 13, 2026, and is linked to ChatGPT through forensic analysis of his phone. Reports also note the FBI investigated, and that his ChatGPT queries and related searches involved topics such as law-enforcement response and firearm-related guidance. Vanguard provides a shorter account, while Nigerian Eye includes additional detail about the robbery and the device searches.
