Wesley Sorrow Convicted in Bank Heist Days After Prison Release

MACON, Ga. — Less than a week after walking out of federal prison, Wesley Sorrow, 50, of Lizella, Georgia, was back behind bars — this time for robbing the American Pride Bank on Forsyth Road. A federal jury convicted Sorrow of bank robbery following a three-day trial that concluded last week, marking a swift fall from freedom to another looming prison sentence.

Sorrow was seven days into his stay at a Macon halfway house when he walked into the bank on May 21, 2019, handed a note to a teller demanding cash, and fled with stolen money. He returned to the facility as if nothing happened. But investigators from the FBI and Bibb County Sheriff’s Office moved fast. By that evening, Sorrow was in custody and the stolen cash was recovered from his locker.

Now facing a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Sorrow will be sentenced on Feb. 1 before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell. There is no parole in the federal system — a fact Sorrow, a repeat offender, should know well. His criminal history stretches back three decades and includes prior convictions for bank robbery, robbery, and forgery, including a June 2009 bank robbery in the same federal district.

“Bank robbery is a federal crime that carries serious consequences, of which Wesley Sorrow is well aware,” said Peter D. Leary, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “Repeat offenders and individuals who choose to commit crimes that terrify and destabilize our community will be held accountable.”

Chris Macrae, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, didn’t mince words: “Being in federal prison was apparently not enough of a punishment for Sorrow to learn his lesson because within a week of being released he went right back to his criminal tendencies. Thanks to the assistance of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, he will receive more time in federal prison where he will be off the streets and unable to terrorize our community. “

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis added, “Wesley Sorrow is yet another criminal who will soon learn the certain and lengthy penalties for violating federal level crimes. We can hope the penalty for this conviction will effectively end his 30-year crime career.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joy Odom and Robert McCullers.