A 59-year-old transient who robbed a Cheyenne Bank in July and then threw the money in the air while waiting for police to arrive has been sentenced to six years in prison

Linda Thompson was also ordered to serve three years on supervised release after she gets out of prison

Thompson earlier this year asked U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal to sentence her to the maximum amount of time possible in prison after she pled guilty to the charges. She told the judge she purposely robbed the U.S. Bank so she could get arrested and go back to prison.

But at Wednesday's sentencing, Thompson's lawyer, David Weiss, told the court that after he and Thompson discussed the situation they had decided that simply going back to prison for the rest of her life would be a "cop-out" for Thompson.

Weiss said Thompson's problems with alcohol and prejudice against her as a transgender person had caused her a great many problems in life but added she now has plans to get a Commercial Driver's License [CDL] once she is released from prison.

Thompson, in her statement to the court, apologized to the U.S. Bank teller whom she had dealt with in the robbery. The teller and bank manager were both at the hearing but didn't testify.

Thompson expressed optimism about living a sober, productive life once she is released. She also said she came to Wyoming to work, as opposed to collecting welfare in Oregon, where she lived briefly after being released from prison on another bank robbery conviction.

Thompson robbed the Cheyenne bank on July 27 by passing a note to the teller demanding money and saying she had a gun. She then went outside the bank and threw the money in the air, waiting for police to arrive. All of the $16,300 taken in the robbery was recovered.

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