66-year-old Independence man indicted on federal bank robbery charges
A federal grand jury has indicted a 66-year-old Independence man on bank robbery charges involving the robbery and attempted robberies of banks in last year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
The grand jury charged Ernest A. Wilcox in the indictment filed in November 2025 with one count of bank robbery and two counts of attempted bank robbery. The indictment has been under seal until Wilcox’s arrest on Monday.
The indictment, which was not available online Wednesday morning, alleges that Wilcox attempted to rob a bank in Kansas City on May 8, 2024. The indictment also alleges that Wilcox robbed a bank in Independence on June 11, 2024, and attempted to rob the same bank on July 3, 2024, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Under federal law, each count of bank robbery, or attempted bank robbery carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole.
Wilcox has a prior criminal history that includes convictions in Nebraska for Hobbs Act robbery, use of a weapon during a violent crime, and the armed robbery of an armored car, as well as convictions for bank robbery in Iowa and various other financial offenses, according to court documents.
