A Peoria man who attempted to rob First Mid Bank and Trust in Galesburg in 2019 was sentenced to almost 22 years in Federal Prison this week.51-year-old Dante L. Williams was sentenced to 262 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
Williams’ girlfriend and accomplice Irene Belton pled guilty in January of 2022 and was sentenced to 43 months.
The prosecution presented evidence that Belton drove Williams from Peoria to Galesburg in her van knowing that he was planning on robbing a bank.
Once in Galesburg, the van experienced mechanical problems, so Belton parked while Williams went inside First Mid Bank and Trust.
Williams was handed $2,000 by a teller after making threats with a TASER.
Williams and Belton then proceeded to make small purchases at local stores in restaurants with their ill-gained funds and were arrested in a fast food parking lot on East Main Street.
At the time of their arrest, Williams had a TASER in his possession and Belton had the stolen money in her purse.
The government noted in their arguments that Williams had a long history of convictions ranging from auto thefts at the age of 15 to his first bank robbery at the age of 36.
Williams was placed under arrest just months after being placed on supervised release.