Kenneth Glen Trane, the Orem man who confessed to being the "Top Gun" bandit suspected of a string of 18 robberies, was sentenced Tuesday to more than seven years in federal prison.
"I'm very, very sorry this ever took place, and I certainly apologize to all of those involved for any inconvenience or problems it may have caused," Trane said.He apologized to the victims of the crimes, and said he never would have hurt them.
Trane turned to the audience of perhaps 40 friends and relatives and made a profuse apology, during which many of them cried. He said he is sorry he embarrassed them, and he hopes it won't be long before he is able to return and make amends.
U.S. District Judge David Sam sentenced him to five years in prison on a single firearms charge, the mandatory minimum required for using a gun during a robbery. But he departed from federal guidelines in sentencing Trane on three robbery charges.
Trane was given 27 months in prison on charges of robbing the American Savings & Loan, Murray, of $3,942 on Sept. 11, 1989; the Garfield Credit Union in Salt Lake City of $2,041 on Sept. 22, 1989 and the Hi-Land Credit Union in Murray of $200 on Oct. 18, 1989.
The 27 months - which was six months less than recommended in the guidelines - must be served in addition to the five years on the gun charge.
"The guidelines don't provide for someone who cooperates by being debriefed and implicating himself, clearing up their cases," said his lawyer, Ronald Yengich, explaining why the judge departed from the recommended sentence. "By clearing up all the cases the police have, he saves the police a lot of time and aggravation."
A fourth robbery of a federally-insured institution will not be charged against Trane, under a plea agreement.
Trane will waive a preliminary hearing Wednesday in four additional state charges of aggravated robbery, Yengich said. The waiver is a step toward pleading guilty in state court.
Both Yengich and prosecutor Gregory Diamond said Trane cooperated in clearing up robberies. A total of 18 are attributed to the Top Gun bandit, called that because for a number of robberies he wore a baseball cap with the name of that popular movie on it.
Most of the robberies were for relatively small sums, with Trane hitting places like credit unions and convenience stores.
Answering reporters' questions after the sentencing, Yengich said he obtained permission from Judge Sam for Elder Marion D. Hanks, member of the LDS First Quorum of the Seventy, to visit Trane just before the sentencing. He said there is nothing unusual about a religious leader visiting a prisoner prior to sentencing.
He and Diamond said Elder Hanks wrote a letter to the judge in favor of Trane. "As did 35 other people," Yengich said.