Show-Me State Times

Two Kansas City men have been sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a bank robbery. Rathell Quavon Ross, 28, received a sentence of 77 months from U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips. His co-defendant, Gerrad D. Rivera-Willis, was previously sentenced on April 22, 2025, to 72 months in prison for the same crime.

Court documents state that Rivera-Willis and Ross parked near a Kansas City bank before entering and threatening employees while demanding money. The pair left with $2,033 and departed in the same vehicle they arrived in. Authorities identified the vehicle as having also been used in an earlier bank robbery at another location.

Law enforcement later found the vehicle and both suspects fled on foot. Ross was discovered hiding under a tarp with the keys to the car. Officers used a K-9 unit to trace Rivera-Willis’s path and recovered the stolen cash hidden under a cinder block close to where he was apprehended. Rivera-Willis admitted his role in the previous robbery and has been ordered to pay $8,542 in restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley prosecuted this case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime through coordinated efforts involving multiple federal programs.