Career Offender Sentenced to 18 Years for Bank Robbery
Defendant Caused Altercation During Sentencing and Had To Be Restrained
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Antoine Jermaine Wallace, age 35, of Baltimore, today to 18 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, after being convicted on July 9, 2008 of bank robbery, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Bennett enhanced Wallace’s sentence upon finding him a career offender based on prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, assault and robbery.
According to testimony at his two day trial, on January 4, 2008, Wallace entered the Bank of America at 201 Benton Avenue in Linthicum, Maryland. After waiting in line he approached a teller and demanded that she place money in the white plastic bag he was carrying, and not give him a dye pack. The teller realized it was a robbery and pushed the silent alarm. As the teller was filling the bag, Wallace pointed to a stack of $20s, which was the dye pack, and demanded that she place that in the bag. She did so. Wallace reached over the counter and took the white plastic bag with the money in it and left the bank. Wallace stole approximately $1,000 from the bank.
Approximately one-half hour after the robbery Wallace was located by a canine with a canine officer hiding in a water drain, his clothes and hands stained with red dye.
An FBI chemist confirmed that the dye on his clothes was from a bank dye pack.
At today’s sentencing Wallace caused a disturbance by throwing a water pitcher, shouting and fighting with U.S. Marshals. Additional U.S. Marshals were called to the courtroom to restrain Wallace, who remains detained.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their investigative work, and commended Assistant United States Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who prosecuted the case.
