Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Second Time for Bank Robbery

LITTLE ROCK-Bob Pilletto Best will spend the next 240 months in federal prison for his second time being convicted of bank robbery. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down Thursday, July 16, 2026, by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.

On April 1, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging Best, 60, Jacksonville, with one count of bank robbery. On January 8, 2026, Best pleaded guilty to the charge in the Indictment. In addition to the 20-year sentence, Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Best to three years' supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution to First Arkansas Bank & Trust in the amount of the stolen money. There is no parole in the federal system.

On February 6, 2025, law enforcement officers from the Jacksonville Police Department were dispatched to First Arkansas Bank & Trust in reference to a robbery that had just occurred. Once officers arrived at the bank, tellers provided a description of the person who had robbed the bank and that person was later identified as Best. During the investigation, officers were advised that Best entered the bank and proceeded to the counter in the bank's lobby and behaved in a manner that suggested he was looking for something to write on. Best was advised by the teller that they no longer use paper deposit slips and the teller offered to assist Best at the window. Best approached the teller with one hand tucked under his arm and advised the teller that he had a firearm and instructed her to give him all the $50 and $100 bills in the cash drawer. The teller gave Best $5,300 in denominations of $100 and $50 bills. Once he received the cash from the teller, Best ran out of the bank's front door.

Following the robbery, officers canvassed the area searching for Best. On the following day, February 7, 2025, officers were provided with information that Best may be at an apartment in Little Rock. When officers arrived at the apartment, Best answered the door and stated, "I was the one who robbed the bank." During a later interview, Best again repeated that he committed the robbery.

Best was previously convicted of bank robbery in 2005 in Michigan and was sentenced to a 170-month federal prison term. He also has felony convictions for armed robbery, assault on a prison employee, second-degree forgery, forgery, and theft by receiving.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jacksonville Police Department.

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