Medium reported severity Criminal Charges

Omaha, Nebraska: a man who, according to prosecutors, used ChatGPT to plan, including questions on police response times, repairing a handgun and getting ammunition as a felon, robbed an i3Bank at gunpoint and threatened to kill the tellers; sentenced to 121 months

On 10 February 2026 a 23-year-old man walked into the i3Bank in Omaha, pointed a gun at the tellers, threatened to kill them unless they handed over cash without dye packs, and left with about $9,175. According to the prosecutor's statement relayed by WOWT and heise, a consented search of his phone showed he had used ChatGPT to plan the robbery, asking about law enforcement response times, how to strip and repair a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, and how to obtain ammunition as a felon; his Google Maps history showed directions to the bank. He was sentenced in federal court on 13 August 2026 to 10 years and one month in prison. No source quotes what ChatGPT answered.

AI system: ChatGPT; OpenAI
Occurred: 10 Feb 2026
Reported: 19 August 2026
Event location: United States

What the AI did: Communicated with the person
Reported harm: Psychological DistressHarm to Others

Whose AI use: Someone else’s AI use
Setting: Work · Justice · Finance

Evidence: AI involvement reported · Causal attribution unclear · 2 sources, 1 underlying account; 4 claims: 4 reported. 4 open questions
People reported harmed: At least 2 people

AI system as recorded: ChatGPT (OpenAI); model and replies not reported

What Happened

WOWT (19 August 2026) and heise (21 August 2026) both report the U.S. Attorney's Office account of the case. On 10 February 2026 the defendant entered the i3Bank in Omaha, pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the tellers and threatened to kill them unless they gave him cash without dye packs; he left with about $9,175. He was unmasked and recorded by surveillance cameras, which also filmed his truck and a shopping trip at a nearby mall. After a later police stop he admitted driving the vehicle but denied the robbery, then consented to a search of his phone. Officers determined from its contents that he had used ChatGPT to plan the robbery, including advice on law enforcement response times, how to strip and repair a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, and how to obtain ammunition as a felon; heise says the pistol used was of the exact type he had asked ChatGPT about. His Google Maps history showed a recent search for directions to the bank. Neither source quotes the prompts or ChatGPT's replies, or says whether the model answered, refused or warned. heise judged the AI use 'rather secondary', since the robber was identified through camera footage. He was sentenced on 13 August 2026 to 10 years and one month.

Reported harm

Bank tellers were threatened with death at gunpoint and about $9,175 was taken in a robbery the prosecutor's office says was planned with ChatGPT queries (per the U.S. Attorney's Office statement relayed by WOWT and heise); no injuries are reported and the record makes no causal claim about the model.

Outcome

Resolved

The defendant was charged in federal court with bank robbery and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and sentenced on 13 August 2026 to 10 years and one month in prison, followed by five years of supervised release (WOWT, relaying the U.S. Attorney's Office). The federal docket is D. Neb. 8:26-cr-00042; its public documents were not readable.

What remains unknown

What ChatGPT answered to each query, and whether it refused, warned or supplied the information.
The exact number of tellers threatened.
Whether any teller reported lasting effects.
The text of the U.S. Attorney's Office release and of the plea agreement (not readable from this box).

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. The U.S. Attorney's Office statement, as relayed by WOWT and heise, says officers found on the defendant's phone that he used ChatGPT to plan the robbery, asking about police response times, stripping and repairing a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, and obtaining ammunition as a felon. The AI system communicated with the user whose robbery threatened the tellers; the tellers did not use it. No source quotes the prompts or replies, so nothing is recorded about what ChatGPT answered or whether it refused or warned; heise considers the AI use secondary.

4 claims: 4 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported On 10 February 2026 a 23-year-old man entered the i3Bank in Omaha, pointed a gun at tellers, threatened to kill them unless they handed over cash without dye packs, and left with about $9,175.

Causal attribution. The robbery and threats are attributed to the defendant, who was sentenced for them according to the prosecutor's statement relayed by WOWT and heise; no causal role is attributed to ChatGPT.

wowt.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
On Feb. 10, [the defendant] entered the i3Bank in Omaha and pointed a gun at tellers, threatening to kill them, to give him cash and not include any dye packs. He stole about $9,175 before fleeing.
heise.de(opens in new tab) supports · English
He robbed the bank in Omaha, Nebraska, on February 10th with a semi-automatic pistol of the exact type he had previously asked ChatGPT about. With the gun drawn, he forced the handover of slightly more than 9000 US dollars.

Reported After he consented to a search of his phone, officers determined that he had used ChatGPT to plan the robbery, including asking about law enforcement response times, how to strip and repair a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, and how to obtain ammunition as a felon; his Google Maps history showed a recent search for directions to the bank.

Causal attribution. Characterisation by investigators and the prosecutor's office; neither source quotes the prompts or ChatGPT's replies.

wowt.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
He consented to a search of his phone. Officers examined the contents and determined [the defendant] used ChatGPT to plan the robbery, including advice on law enforcement response times, how to strip and repair a Llama Mini-Max .45 handgun, and for advice on obtaining ammunition as a felon. Additionally, his Google maps history showed he had most recently searched for directions to i3 Bank.
heise.de(opens in new tab) supports · English
'robbed a bank without a mask after using the AI chatbot ChatGPT for planning'; 'The 23-year-old had asked ChatGPT, among other things, how long it takes for the police to respond to a bank robbery, how to disassemble and reassemble a specific type of pistol, and how to obtain ammunition for it if he has a prior conviction.'

Reported He was sentenced on 13 August 2026 to 10 years and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, on charges of bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Causal attribution. Court outcome for the defendant's own conduct; not attributed to the AI system.

wowt.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
was charged with bank robbery and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He was sentenced Aug. 13 to 10 years and a month in prison.
wowt.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
After release, [the defendant] will begin a five-year term of supervised release.

Reported He robbed the bank unmasked and was recorded by surveillance cameras showing his face and his truck; heise judged the use of AI 'rather secondary'.

Causal attribution. heise's own assessment that the AI use was secondary to the robbery; recorded as context.

heise.de(opens in new tab) supports · English
He was not masked and wore conspicuous clothing, all of which was recorded by the surveillance camera.
heise.de(opens in new tab) context · English
However, the use of AI seems rather secondary here.
wowt.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
was seen on surveillance video clearly showing his face and driving a truck with

Sources

2 sources inspected, from 1 underlying account. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

WOWT, 19 August 2026: Man who used ChatGPT to plan Omaha bank robbery sentenced(opens in new tab)
s1 · wowt.com · News report · English · Inspected · 19 August 2026 · Shares an underlying account with another listed source · Primary
heise.de(opens in new tab)
s2 · News report · English · Inspected · Shares an underlying account with another listed source

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Full body read by curl on 2026-09-29; quotes the U.S. Attorney's Office account of the phone search. Applies to s1.

heise English edition, read by curl on 2026-09-29; the page says it was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed, and it cites a statement from the prosecutor's office, so it shares WOWT's independence group. Applies to s2.

Event countries: United States. Affected-person countries: United States. Court countries: United States.

WOWT: the i3Bank 'in Omaha'; heise: 'the bank in Omaha, Nebraska'. The tellers worked at that branch. Sentenced in federal court (D. Neb.).

Reviewed for publication 2026-09-29: Published under the 2026-09-15 charter and planning-query precedent as an armed robbery in which the prosecutor's office says ChatGPT was used for planning before the harm occurred. Both inspected accounts relay the same official statement; the absence of quoted model replies limits claims about model behaviour and is recorded. Tellers and the defendant are not named.

People described

Bank tellers at the i3Bank branch in Omaha, threatened at gunpoint (not named; number given only as 'tellers'). The defendant, a 23-year-old convicted adult, is not named here.

People reported harmed in this case

At least 2 people

0 AI participants · 2 other people harmed

WOWT: he 'pointed a gun at tellers, threatening to kill them' (plural, so at least two tellers). The exact number of tellers is not given in the inspected bodies. The defendant, the AI user, is not counted as harmed (consistent with the Zurich-Oerlikon precedent); the bank's monetary loss is not a person count. Documented minimum 2.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Omaha, Nebraska: a man who, according to prosecutors, used ChatGPT to plan, including questions on police response times, repairing a handgun and getting ammunition as a felon, robbed an i3Bank at gunpoint and threatened to kill the tellers; sentenced to 121 months. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-omaha-i3bank-armed-robbery-chatgpt-planning-tellers-threatened

BibTeX

@misc{2026_omaha_i3bank_armed_robbery_chatgpt_planning_tellers_threatened,
  title = {Omaha, Nebraska: a man who, according to prosecutors, used ChatGPT to plan, including questions on police response times, repairing a handgun and getting ammunition as a felon, robbed an i3Bank at gunpoint and threatened to kill the tellers; sentenced to 121 months},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-omaha-i3bank-armed-robbery-chatgpt-planning-tellers-threatened}
}

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