ST. LOUIS, MO. (AP) -- A St. Louis County man has pleaded guilty to robbing an ATM servicing company, the first person convicted in the multi-million-dollar heist.
John Wesley Jones entered the guilty plea in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday. He also pleaded guilty to firearms charges and escaping from the county jail where he was held. Jones, 36, of Florissant, faces sentencing May 12.
Jones' attorney, Joel Schwartz, said after the hearing that Jones understood that the evidence in the case was overwhelming. He said Jones is "anxious to begin his sentence and move on to the next phase of his life."
FBI Special Agent Dennis L. Baker said he was pleased with the guilty plea and is confident the other men involved in the heist will be brought to justice.
Baker said authorities have recovered most of the stolen money but are still trying to locate the rest.
The U.S. Attorney's office offered new details Friday about the high-profile Aug. 2 heist at ATM Solutions Inc.'s St. Louis office, one of the largest robberies ever in St. Louis.
The U.S. Attorney's office said four people forced their way into the business and stole more than $5 million, the first time that figure has been publicly released. It said the robbers also took firearms from both employees and tied them up, then forced them to help place the money into an ATM Solutions van after deciding there was too much money to put in the car they drove in with.
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