A Randolph man was recently sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for committing an armed robbery at a local bank in 2013.

The 35-year-old suspect wore a black cloth mask and held a handgun when he entered a PNC bank branch in Randolph, New Jersey.

The suspect walked up to a teller inside the bank and demanded that she give him cash. The teller responded by handing over $1,777 in cash. However, the cash came with a hidden GPS unit. Police were able to use the GPS unit to track the suspect’s movements when he left the bank.

According to prosecutors, the GPS unit transmitted data indicating that the suspect drove from the bank to his home in Randolph, NJ.

During the subsequent investigation, police found two pieces of the GPS unit in a backyard which adjoined the suspect’s residence. Video footage from a nearby camera reportedly showed someone throwing two small objects – possibly the broken GPS unit – from the suspect’s house into the backyard.

After locating the GPS unit, police officers searched the area. At one point, officers spoke to the suspect. According to police, the suspect said that he was at work on the day of the robbery; however, prosecutors later said that the suspect actually called in sick to work that day.

Bank employees provided investigators with a description of the suspect. According to prosecutors, the descriptions matched the suspect.

Police eventually placed the suspect under arrest. He was later convicted on federal armed robbery charges after a two-week trial in U.S. District Court. The suspect was then sentenced to serve almost 12 years in federal prison.

For additional information about this case, go to the NJ.com article entitled “Bank Robber Caught with Hidden GPS Sentenced to Nearly 12 Years in Jail.”