United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

AREA RESIDENTS SENTENCED TO LENGTHY FEDERAL PRISON TERMS
FOR ARMED BANK ROBBERY PLOT

FORT WORTH, Tx. — Three local residents who were convicted by a federal jury in February on all counts of a superseding indictment charging them with offenses related to an armed bank robbery plot they devised, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John McBryde, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas.

James Edward Geske, 27, of Arlington, Texas, was sentenced to 136 months in prison; Kevin Michael Smith, 37, of Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced to 124 months in prison; and Alicia Nichole Frazier, 25, of Aledo, Texas, was sentenced to 108 months in prison. At trial, each was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, one count of conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of conspiracy to possess an unregistered firearm and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

U.S. Attorney Roper said, “I applaud the sentences handed down by Judge McBryde today. Thanks to the excellent investigative efforts of ATF and the Arlington Police Department, a very dangerous criminal conspiracy was disrupted before planned violent acts could be committed. This is another fine example of the excellent cooperation between federal and local law enforcement working together to prevent violent crime.”

The government presented evidence at trial that between October 29, 2006, and November 8, 2006, the three defendants conspired together to commit the armed robberies of First State Bank, ExtraCo Bank and Mills County State Bank, all in Hamilton, Texas, which is located approximately 110 miles southwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The plot, however, was disrupted before violent acts could be committed.

On October 29, 2006, an Arlington, Texas, undercover police officer met with Geske who expressed interest in acquiring guns and explosives in order to explode several police vehicles androb banks in Hamilton, Texas. A few days later, on November 1, 2006, the undercover officer met with Geske again and Geske told him about the bank robbery plan which included securing enough C-4 explosives with blasting caps and detonators to blow up 15 police vehicles in Hamilton, rendering them inoperable and creating a diversion for the three bank robberies he had planned. The undercover officer told Geske that he had access to the firearms and explosives through a friend, who was, in fact, an undercover agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Geske agreed to purchase guns and explosives for cash or methamphetamine. During this meeting, Geske recruited the undercover officer and undercover ATF agent to be involved in the plot.

On November 3, 2006, the undercover officer purchased one-half ounce of methamphetamine from Geske as a sample for the future sale of the guns and explosives. The next day, on November 4, 2006, Geske, the undercover officer, and the undercover ATF agent, drove to Hamilton to conduct surveillance. While driving, Geske directed them to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office where the C-4 explosives would be used to blow up the Sheriff’s vehicles. Also during this trip, Geske directed them to a nearby lake where the getaway vehicle would be discarded. During this trip, Geske further negotiated with the undercover ATF agent for the sale of the guns and explosives for methamphetamine.

A few days later, on November 7, 2006, the undercover officer, the ATF undercover agent, Geske and defendant Kevin Michael Smith, met with another male, “Jeff,” at a hotel in Fort Worth to further discuss the bank robbery plans. Smith said that his girlfriend, defendant Alicia Nichole Frazier, would also be participating in the robberies. During this meeting Geske, Smith and “Jeff,” ordered guns and C-4 from the undercover ATF agent to be used for the bank robberies. They agreed to meet the next day to exchange the guns and explosives for one pound of methamphetamine and $15,000 of the future bank robbery proceeds. After that meeting, the undercover ATF agent phoned Frazier and they discussed her role in the bank robberies. She said she wanted to acquire blue prints for all the banks prior to the execution of the robberies. She also ordered two pistols equipped with silencers from the undercover ATF agent.

The next day the undercover police officer and undercover ATF agent met with Geske, Smith and Frazier in a hotel room in Arlington, Texas, to further plan the robberies and exchange of methamphetamine for the guns and explosives. The defendants provided the undercover officer with one pound of purported methamphetamine, which was tested later and found to be fake. Geske took possession of the C4 explosives and a machine gun that the three defendants had requested. The three defendants were arrested at that time, without incident.

U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper praised the excellent investigative efforts of the ATF and the Arlington, Texas, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bret Helmer.

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