Omaha Men and Federal Inmate Sentenced for Cedar Bluffs Armed Bank Robbery

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Bruce J. Dortch, 31, Delonta McKnight, 34, and Dontae D. Orduna, 36, all of Omaha, Nebraska, were sentenced in federal court in Omaha for their roles in an armed bank robbery. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Dortch on August 17, 2026, and Orduna on August 31, 2026, to 204 months' imprisonment: 120 months for bank robbery and 84 months for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. McKnight was sentenced on August 31, 2026, to 60 months' imprisonment for conspiracy to commit bank robbery. McKnight's sentence will be served consecutive to concurrent 96-month sentences imposed in U.S. District Court of Nebraska and U.S. District Court of Northern Georgia.

There is no parole in the federal system. After Dortch and Orduna are released from prison, they will begin five-year terms of supervised release. McKnight will serve a three-year term of supervised release concurrent to the other terms of supervised release ordered in his prior cases. All were ordered to pay restitution to Community State Bank in the amount of $71,097.

Between October 3 and November 7, 2023, McKnight and Dortch had a group chat where they agreed to "get money" and began plotting. At that time, McKnight was incarcerated at FCI Pollock because of a prior federal bank robbery conviction. McKnight utilized a smuggled phone to initiate the group chat.

On January 14, 2025, Orduna and Dortch were captured on video surveillance arriving at Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska, and ultimately drove to the Community State Bank, where they were captured on video surveillance entering the bank wearing disguises to include realistic human face masks with handguns drawn.

They pointed handguns at the bank employees and demanded money. Dortch grabbed an employee, led her to the vault at gunpoint, and demanded she place the money in a bag. Dortch and Orduna directed bank employees to spread bills to ensure there were no dye packs. Orduna took the money from the teller drawers, then Dortch and Orduna zip-tied the bank employees, instructed them to lie on the floor of the vault, and then closed the vault with the employees inside.

Dortch and Orduna left the bank with $71,097.00, including bait bills.

Beginning on January 25, 2025, McKnight, while still in prison, searched eBay for realistic, silicone human face masks and saved maps to various banks in Nebraska and Iowa with a smuggled phone and subsequently used the phone to email Dortch about banks that presented good robbery prospects. He advised Dortch about multiple banks in rural towns outside of Omaha, estimated their cash on hand, the amount of law enforcement presence in those towns, expected law enforcement response times to those banks, and he provided maps to the banks. McKnight specifically identified a bank in Modale, Iowa.

On March 7, 2025, GPS tracking information taken in combination with records from Dortch and Orduna's phone providers showed that Orduna and Dortch met up and travelled approximately 35 minutes together to Modale, Iowa, where they drove by the Community Bank to "case" it.

On March 12, 2025, law enforcement foiled their apparent plans and arrested Dortch and Orduna at their respective residences and executed search warrants. At Orduna's residence, law enforcement recovered $5,520 and a firearm. At Dortch's residence, law enforcement recovered $11,210 including the Community State Bank bait bills, two firearms, the masks worn by Dortch and Orduna, and clothing worn during the robbery.

"These sentences demonstrate that violence does not pay," said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods. "If you take a gun into a business and assault innocent employees who are simply doing their job, the United States Attorney's Office will hold you maximumly accountable in federal court for those choices. The deputies and police officers that recovered the stolen money and the firearm performed a great public service in this case, and I thank them for it."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Omaha Police Department, and Saunders County Sheriff's Office.