A 69-year-old man who robbed a series of Cincinnati-area banks has a “significant substance abuse” history as well as mental health issues, a federal judge said at his sentencing Monday.

Bruce Armstead also has a “myriad of medical conditions,” U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott said. Those unnamed medical issues led to him almost dying while he was being held at the Butler County Jail awaiting resolution of his case. Armstead underwent surgery that likely saved his life after his public defender alerted the jail about his medical issues.

Armstead’s addiction to crack cocaine was so severe that even after undergoing surgery, he relapsed and began using again, his federal public defender, Karen Savir, told Dlott.

The judge sentenced Armstead to 24 months in prison, a sentence that had been agreed upon as part of the plea agreement. He faced a maximum of 8½ years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Armstead will likely be housed at a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, that is equipped to handle prisoners with medical issues. Dlott also recommended that he receive treatment for drug abuse.

In court Monday, Armstead said he now realizes that he has to deal with his drug addiction. He said he wants to be a productive member of society and “enjoy life.”

He also apologized for his crimes.

5 banks robbed within 3 months

Authorities say Armstead robbed five banks in Lockland, Deer Park, Mount Healthy and Wyoming between November 2021 and January 2022. Court documents say he stole nearly $80,000.

Armstead robbed a U.S. Bank in Lockland twice – on Nov. 2, 2021 and again on Nov. 13, 2021, according to court documents. He then robbed three more banks:

• A Huntington Bank in Deer Park on Dec. 8, 2021.

• A Fifth Third Bank in Wyoming on Dec. 14, 2021.

• A U.S. Bank in Mount Healthy on Jan. 7, 2022.

Armstead was arrested in March 2022 after an investigation involving the FBI as well as police agencies in the municipalities where the robberies happened.

He pleaded guilty in April to a bank robbery charge.

In the Jan. 7, 2022 robbery in Mount Healthy, Armstead − wearing a black beanie cap, sunglasses, gloves and a surgical mask − walked up to a teller and asked for change. According to court documents, after the teller asked Armstead what he needed, he pointed a handgun at the teller and demanded money.

The teller gave him money from a drawer, but Armstead said he knew there was more, and the teller gave him additional cash. Even then, according to the documents, Armstead said he knew there was more money “and again the teller gave him more.”

Armstead stuffed the money into a pocket and fled.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bruce Armstead sentenced for a series of bank robberies