A man who stole an ATM and then led officers on a high-speed chase for approximately 40 minutes pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.John Fitzgerald Bennett, age 56, from Gilbertville, Iowa, was convicted of one count of credit union larceny.In a plea agreement, Bennett admitted that on May 3, 2025, he stole a pickup truck from a home in Waterloo. He then drove the truck to a parking lot in Cedar Falls. Bennett walked down the street and stole a forklift from a construction site. He drove the forklift to a credit union in Cedar Falls and attempted to use the forklift to lift an interactive teller machine off the ground.
The machine tipped over and Bennett could not maneuver the forklift to successfully steal the machine. Bennett then drove the forklift further down the street to a second credit union. There, he successfully used the forklift to steal an ATM. Bennett drove the forklift with the ATM back to the parking lot where he had stashed the stolen pickup truck.
Bennett used the forklift to move the ATM into the back of the pickup truck and drove away.Law enforcement officers responded to alarms from both credit unions and found Bennett in the stolen pickup truck. Bennett fled and led officers on a high‑speed chase, including on Interstate 380, for approximately 40 minutes and a total of 46 miles. He reached speeds of 100 miles per hour in a 65 mile-per-hour zone. Ultimately, Bennett drove over multiple sets of “stop sticks,” which deflated most of the truck’s tires.
Finally, the truck was so damaged that it stopped moving. When the truck stopped, the tires were gone and the tire rims and running boards were resting on the ground. The stolen ATM from the second credit union was in the back of the truck. Bennett has a prior federal conviction for one count of credit union burglary and aiding and abetting, and one count of credit union larceny and aiding and abetting.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Bennett remains in custody of the United States Marshal. Bennett faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T.
Hake and was investigated by the Cedar Falls Police Department, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, the Waterloo Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-CR-2068.Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.