Jacob Charles LaFrance, Bank Robberies, Pennsylvania 2019

A Maryland man has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in two bank robberies in Pennsylvania. Jacob Charles LaFrance, 29, of Thurmont, Maryland, was sentenced on April 30, 2019, by United States District Court Judge Yvette Kane.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, LaFrance committed the armed robberies of two banks: PNC Bank in Fairfield, Adams County, on April 25, 2018, where he stole $4,266, and M&T Bank in Blue Ridge Summit, Franklin County, on May 3, 2018, where he stole $1,848.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Frederick County (MD) Sheriff’s Office, the Carroll Valley Borough Police, and the Washington Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney James T. Clancy prosecuted the case.

LaFrance was also ordered to pay $6,114 in restitution as part of his sentence. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and making neighborhoods safer.

The PSN program brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. The program was reinvigorated in 2017 as part of the Department of Justice's renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.

LaFrance will serve 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The case highlights the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the community in preventing and investigating crimes.

The PSN program has been instrumental in reducing violent crime in many communities across the United States. LaFrance's sentence serves as a reminder that bank robbery is a serious crime with severe consequences.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/maryland-man-sentenced-41-months-prison-bank-robberies