A man known as the “Penguin Robber” has been sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison for a series of bank robberies in the Denver, Colorado, area.
Samuel Richard Ruthstrom, 42, reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors this year after committing four bank heists and making an attempt on another within just a few weeks, as detailed in court documents. On Thursday, a judge sentenced him to 160 months in prison, which will run concurrently, along with three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay significant restitution for the five bank robberies.
Matt Kirsch, the U.S. Attorney for Colorado, expressed support for the lengthy sentence, emphasizing that “repeat offenders pose a danger to society.”
The attorney representing Ruthstrom declined to provide any comments, adhering to the policy of the federal public defender’s office.
Denver police, in collaboration with an FBI task force, were the first responders to Ruthstrom’s robbery at Ginn Credit Union on January 2nd. According to a criminal complaint, Ruthstrom wore a ski mask and handed a note to a teller demanding cash from a drawer without any security features like dye packs or tracers.
The report states that Ruthstrom received $385 in cash before fleeing the scene.
Shortly thereafter, on January 8th, he entered a Canvas Credit Union branch again sporting a ski mask and instructed the teller, “I need what’s in your drawer,” making off with $400.
The following day, Ruthstrom struck another Canvas Credit Union location, where he handed a teller a note demanding $10,000. The teller managed to give him $1,200 in smaller bills while activating a hold-up alarm system.
Ruthstrom went on to rob two Wells Fargo branches on January 17th and 18th, where he also demanded cash, including a specific request for $10,000 in $150 bills during the latter robbery.
A note from the January 18th heist was included in the case documentation.
The note stated, “I don’t care if you have to take them out of every drawer. Now, hurry up and act like your life depends on it, because it will.”
A teller feared that Ruthstrom might have a firearm since he kept his hands in his pockets. The teller told him he couldn’t comply with his demands, and Ruthstrom ultimately left empty-handed.
On January 19th, a public safety alert was issued, and Ruthstrom was nicknamed the “Penguin Bandit” due to his stocky physique and distinctive walking style.
A few days later, a tip led investigators to Ruthstrom’s name, revealing that he was on parole from a previous robbery conviction. Members of the FBI task force compared surveillance footage from his parole office visit, noting that he walked similarly to the robbery suspect caught on camera.
Further investigation included a search warrant for Ruthstrom’s phone records, which showed he made calls to a nearby cell tower at the time of the robberies. After committing the heists, his phone consistently moved away from the scene and towards areas he was mandated to visit due to his parole requirements, as outlined in the complaint.
Additionally, Ruthstrom’s Jeep Grand Cherokee was spotted near the sites of the robberies, corroborating the claims against him.
