A West Deer man who robbed a Butler County bank was sentenced earlier this week in federal court, receiving mandatory time in federal prison, among other penalties.

Matthew Milliron, 40, will have a five-year stay in federal prison after he was sentenced Monday by U.S. Judge Arthur J. Schwab.

Milliron received a sentence of 41 months and 60 months for two counts of armed robbery, which will be served concurrently, or at the same time.

Milliron had entered the plea agreement in March, and the deal also orders Milliron to pay $143,300 in restitution, equaling about the amount he stole during the two robberies in August 2021, one of which was at a Middlesex Township bank.

According to court documents, Milliron entered the bank just before noon Aug. 7, 2021, and entered a teller's office, then held the teller at gunpoint asking her to escort him to the vault. The documents said during the ordeal, Milliron had threatened to kill the teller's family if she did not comply.

A later audit of the bank showed $136,000 had been taken during the robbery.

The FBI conducted the investigation, and they later connected the bank robbery to one at a Family Dollar the month before. According to the documents, the FBI believed Milliron used the money to catch up on rent payments, and his own family members later helped identify him.

"During the investigation of both robberies, it was determined that Milliron contacted his landlord the day after the robberies to make arrangements for paying his rent," said agents in the affidavit.

Authorities said Milliron's vehicle was spotted near the crime scene, and when authorities interviewed him, he told them he had been trapping minnows in a nearby creek, but authorities did not believe that was true when they filed charges.

According to court records, Milliron has a sporadic criminal history dating back to 2002 that includes minor violent offenses and thefts.

Most recently, a case had been filed through the Allegheny County Court system March 10, 2021, involving a misdemeanor theft charge. Milliron was on a nonmonetary bond for that case at the time of the robberies, and on Oct. 13, 2021, he pleaded guilty and received five years probation for the offense.

It is unclear at this time at which prison Milliron will serve his sentence for his latest conviction.