A Bay City man will spend more than 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbing a Bay County credit union in April 2024. 

Earlier this week, Tony McGillen, 45, was sentenced to 152 months for robbing the Sunrise Family Credit Union in Essexville, Michigan. McGillen previously pleaded guilty to bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., said. 

According to court records, McGillen robbed the Sunrise Family Credit Union at gunpoint on April 9, 2024. U.S. attorneys accuse McGillen of threatening several tellers and robbing the credit union of $7,901 in cash.

McGillen was arrested two weeks after the robbery, after FBI agents identified him via tips from the community.

"The sentencing of Tony McGillen, who was convicted of bank robbery and brandishing a firearm, demonstrates that tough consequences follow such crimes, including multiple years in federal prison," said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, in a statement. "Thanks to the hardworking members of the FBI Bay City Resident Agency, in partnership with the Hampton Township Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the successful prosecution of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Mr. McGillen will be off the streets. I also want to extend my gratitude to the members of the community, including local businesses, whose cooperation was instrumental in bringing justice to those affected by this offender." 

The investigation was handled by the Bay City Resident Agency of the FBI.