A man who robbed four HSBC Bank branches in 2011 and then tried to convince a woman to be his alibi has pleaded guilty.
Between September 2011 and November 2011, Clifford Smith, formerly of Buffalo, robbed four banks in the city, each time handing the teller and note and threatening the use of a gun.
After he was caught, the 34-year-old called a woman from prison and asked her to lie to say she was with Smith when the robberies occurred. He then later sent her a letter giving her dates to provide him an alibi.
Smith pleaded guilty Tuesday to bank robbery and tampering with a witness. When he is sentenced in May he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
