Man convicted of robbing same Sioux Falls bank twice sentenced

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - The Nebraska man found guilty of twice robbing the same Sioux Falls bank has been sentenced to over 21 years in prison.

Fifty-four-year-old Ferris Valentine was sentenced Tuesday, according to acting U.S. Attorney Dennis Holmes.

Prosecutors say Valentine and an accomplice robbed the First National Bank branch near W. 26th Street on Nov. 16, 2016. Valentine, wearing a face mask and armed with a handgun, demanded bank employees give him the money in the teller drawers and the vault. Both suspects left before police arrived.

One year later, on Nov. 24, 2017, Valentine robbed the same bank again, but without a partner. He again wore the same face mask. Valentine stole a total of $278,000 between the two robberies.

Investigators say after the second robbery, a DNA match connected Valentine’s partner to the first bank robbery, which subsequently led to the charges against Valentine.

Valentine was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2019. He was found guilty as a result of a federal jury trial in Sioux Falls in February of 2021.

In addition to his 262-month sentence in federal prison, Valentine was sentenced to five years of supervised release, and must pay restitution to First National Bank in the amount of $217,966.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Valentine’s jury trial was in March, rather than February of 2021.