A Pittsburgh man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for his role in a bank robbery, according to an announcement from Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
Mark Laughner, 38, received a sentence of 70 months in prison after being convicted of robbing a Reserve Township bank on May 16, 2024. United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon handed down the sentence on September 4, 2025. The court also ordered Laughner to pay restitution to the bank.
Court records show that Laughner entered the bank wearing a baseball cap and neck gaiter covering his mouth and nose. He instructed the teller to hand over all large bills. After receiving $100 and $50 bills from the teller’s cash drawer, he threatened her by saying he would shoot her in the face if she did not provide more cash quickly. Laughner left with $1,370 and was later identified through surveillance footage and witness interviews.
Detectives from the Allegheny County Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Laughner. On May 20, 2024, they attempted to apprehend him outside a Pittsburgh fire station. As officers approached with emergency lights activated, Laughner moved into the driver’s seat of a vehicle and fled by driving in reverse at high speed. He ignored multiple commands to stop and narrowly missed hitting two detectives before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot. Law enforcement officers used a police K-9 unit to locate him hiding in thick brush.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted the case for the government.
The investigation was conducted by the Allegheny County Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which coordinates law enforcement efforts across agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence nationwide. In May 2021, PSN adopted new strategies focused on building community trust, supporting prevention organizations, setting targeted enforcement priorities, and tracking results (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-launches-new-effort-reduce-violent-crime).
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
