A bank robber who stopped during his escape to bum a cigarette off a construction worker was set to be sentenced by a federal judge in Pittsburgh.
The worker told police that a man matching 38-year-old Paul Carman's description appeared nervous moments after the October robbery in Ambridge, when Carman threw his shirt in a trash container. But Carman still stopped to borrow a cigarette.
That encounter helped police identify Carman as the man who handed a Huntingdon Bank teller a note saying, "This is a robbery. No dye packs. No alarms," about 1:30 p.m. that day.
Carman pleaded guilty in June and faces more than 12 years in prison under federal guidelines when he's sentenced Wednesday.
Carman's attorney contends his client has had a life-long problem with alcohol and should get a shorter term.
