Man Who Robbed to Warn of Nuclear Attack Gets 30 Years

A convicted bank robber was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday after telling a federal judge that he stole nearly $1 million from nine San Fernando Valley banks to warn the public of a coming nuclear attack by the Japanese.

A federal jury in October rejected James Ambrose McGrath’s defense that God told him to rob banks, convicting him on 18 counts of armed robbery and weapons violations in connection with a string of robberies in Los Angeles.

During a Monday hearing, McGrath again asserted that his primary motive for committing the robberies was “to warn the United States that Japan is planning a sneak thermonuclear attack against us.”

Moments later, U.S. District Judge Harry L. Hupp sentenced him to 30 years in prison, frustrating prosecutors who had asked the judge to impose a 165-year sentence on the nine-time bank robber.

“We disagree with the sentence,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Christopher Tayback said.

But Hupp said he would not impose a sentence that would equate to life in prison because of McGrath’s mental condition.

“Unlike many bank robbers who are robbing to build up their stash of cash . . . this bank robber was operating under a heavy mental state,” the judge said.

The FBI arrested McGrath in March, 1992, after the robbery of a Homes Savings of America branch in Woodland Hills. Authorities discovered a cache of 119 guns and more than 27,000 rounds of ammunition during a search of a lavish home he shared with another man in West Hills.

McGrath’s attorney, John D. Robertson, urged jurors to find his client insane, arguing that he suffers from delusions of devils and fallen angels.

McGrath testified during his trial that “the Lord specifically commanded me to rob the banks so that’s what I did.” God also told him to use gloves and disguises, he said.

A March 8 trial date has been set for a co-defendant, Gilbert David Michaels, who recently was found competent to stand trial.