Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 25-year-old Alexis Rose of Buffalo has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi to an indeterminate sentence of 4 to 12 years in prison.

The defendant admitted that between August 21, 2017 and September 27, 2017, she coerced four juveniles to commit robberies on her behalf at five different banks in Amherst, Buffalo, and Depew. The defendant supplied the teenage boys, whose ages ranged from 14 to 18, with the plans, disguises, and demand notes. She also provided them with transportation to and from the banks via her Lyft account.

All four teens were arrested, confessed, and implicated the defendant in the robberies. Each of the teens pleaded guilty to their crimes and were adjudicated as juvenile delinquents in Family Court or Youthful Offenders in Superior Court.

In February 2019, Rose pleaded guilty to five counts of Robbery in the Third Degree, Class “D” felonies. The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest charges in the indictment against her.

DA Flynn commends the investigative work by Buffalo Police Detective John Heitzhaus, Depew Police Detective John Thomson, and retired Amherst Police Detective Catherine Onions. The three detectives worked these cases for more than a year to ensure the real mastermind behind the robberies did not escape justice.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney James Marra of the DA’s Juvenile and Adolescent Offender Bureau.