Northern District of New York | Fulton County Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery Conspiracy and Firearms Charges

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Luke Kenna, a/k/a. “Lt,” age 44, of Gloversville, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to commit bank robbery and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Kenna admitted that between November 14 and November 27, 2022, he agreed to and planned to commit an armed bank robbery at a bank branch in Johnstown, New York, with two co-conspirators, Michael Brown, Jr. a.k.a. “Russ,” and Brian Tierney a.k.a. “Wodanaz.”  Kenna, as part of that conspiracy, conducted surveillance of the bank and purchased items, including weapons, to commit the robbery, and Brown drove to New York to conduct surveillance of the bank with Kenna.  Kenna also admitted that he possessed a rifle on November 6, 2022, after previously being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

The charges remain pending against Tierney, who has been arrested and detained pending a trial currently scheduled for October 30, 2023. The charges in his indictment are merely accusations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Brown pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank robbery on June 23, 2023. Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2023.

Sentencing for Kenna is scheduled for December 15, 2023, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. Kenna faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI Albany Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which includes FBI Special Agents, and federal, state, and local investigators, including from the New York State Police. The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and New York State Police Special Investigations Unit also provided assistance.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.