Marietta Man Sentenced for Using a BB Airsoft Gun During Two Robberies and One Attempted Robbery

TULSA, Okla. - A Marietta man was sentenced today for Attempted Robbery in Indian Country and two counts of Robbery in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Scott Thomas Balch, 50, to 63 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

In October 2020, Balch entered a convenience store, wearing a mask, brandished a BB airsoft pistol, and told the store clerk he would shoot them if they didn't comply. The employee complied, opened the register, and gave Balch money. A few weeks later, Balch entered the same convenience store and attempted to rob it again with the same BB airsoft pistol. After the employee ran in fear, Blach is seen on surveillance camera, going behind the counter and stealing several scratch-off lottery tickets.

In November 2020, Balch entered a different convenience store, brandished the same BB airsoft pistol, and demanded money.
The clerk complied and gave Balch the contents of the register.

Court records show that Balch was previously convicted in tribal and state courts for more than 11 felonies and three misdemeanors.

Balch is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Sand Springs Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn prosecuted the case.