DENVER — Two Denver men were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a series of bank robberies in the Denver metro area during the summer of 2023.
Mitchell Leland Baca, 33, pleaded guilty to four counts of bank robbery, two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Jaki Ravion Joseph Martin-Birch, 28, pleaded guilty to four counts of bank robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
According to the plea agreements, between June 14, 2023, and July 24, 2023, Baca and Martin-Birch robbed five banks in Denver and Aurora. The two used weapons to threaten employees for cash and then made off from each robbery with thousands of dollars, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.
“Bank robberies are violent, brazen crimes that we will not tolerate,” said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch in a statement. “These sentences should send a message to other potential bank robbers that they will be caught and prosecuted.”
Baca was sentenced to 224 months in federal prison, while Martin-Birch was sentenced to 170 months.
"Together, the defendants are responsible for at least five bank robberies involving handguns across the metro area,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek in a statement. “The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force is uniquely positioned to investigate these types of cross-jurisdictional crimes and leverage federal prosecution to ensure violent offenders are kept off our streets, preventing further harm to the public."
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