HOUSTON – In a string of daring heists, 10 men have been convicted of violent bank robberies in the greater Houston area, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
The men, ranging in age from 24 to 37, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, multiple bank robbery charges, and brandishing and/or discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
Shelton McGowen, 24, was the first to plead guilty, followed by seven others during jury selection – Derrick Williams, 28, Marcus Rosemond Tarpley, 32, Reginald Mosley, 37, Joel Keon Jackson, 33, Hakim Ibn Ahmad, 29, Alonzo Horace Harris, 37, and Patrick Wayne Simmons, 29.
The final two, Calvin Wesley Gray, 33, and Dwayne Holmes, 35, entered their guilty pleas just before and after the government’s opening remarks, respectively.
The men were part of a sophisticated criminal organization that planned and executed violent takeover-style bank robberies of banks inside grocery stores, according to court records.
The conspiracy, which began on May 4, 2007, and ended with the arrest of some of the men on Sept. 16, 2011, involved the defendants casing banks and credit unions, using force, violence, and intimidation to rob them.
During the robberies, which occurred between 9:00 a.m. and noon on weekday mornings, the defendants wore dark clothing, gloves, and masks to conceal their identities, and were armed with semi-automatic pistols, shotguns, and Uzi-style firearms to intimidate bank employees.
The men also used stolen vehicles during the robberies to evade law enforcement.
One of the most brazen robberies occurred on Aug. 4, 2011, when the robbers shot an off-duty sergeant with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office who was in the bank on personal business. He survived.
The men face a range of punishments, including up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each conviction of bank robbery, as well as additional time for using a firearm in the commission of a crime.
Related Federal Cases
- Trent Davis, Capital One Bank Armed Robbery, Texas 2024 · Texas
- LaQuaylan Wesley Patterson, Armed Bank Heists, TX 2023 · Washington
- Education Credit Union Heist, Bank Robbery, Texas 2016 · Florida
- David Lee Sartin, Bank Robbery, Texas 2023 · Texas
- Federal Prosecutors, Immigration Cases Filed, Texas, 2023 · Texas
ðŸâ€â€™ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
