Fort Wayne Man Sentenced To 141 Months In Prison

FORT WAYNE—Paul Carter, age 45, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Holly A. Brady after his plea of guilty to bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Gary T. Bell.

Carter was sentenced to a total of 141 months in prison, followed by a total of 2 years of supervised release.

According to documents in this case, Paul Carter, wearing an orange traffic vest and mask, and armed with a black handgun, robbed the Three Rivers Federal Credit Union on East State Boulevard in Fort Wayne on the morning of March 13, 2020. After entering the credit union, Carter approached a teller, pointed the handgun at her, and demanded money. After getting money from the teller, Carter fled the credit union and ran down the alley adjacent to the credit union where Roland Ellington was waiting for him in his van. The pair then left the area.

Law enforcement soon located the getaway van being driven by Ellington. Ellington, however, did not stop when he saw police officers behind him with their lights and sirens on. Instead, he and Carter led officers on a chase that ultimately ended in front of Ellington’s mother’s house. After the van came to a stop, Ellington and Carter bailed out of the minivan and ran in opposite directions. Carter was located soon after in the backyard of a nearby residence and taken into custody.  A search produced a plastic bag inside of an outdoor grill that was located next to Carter. Inside the plastic bag was a brown baseball hat, a reflective orange vest, sunglasses, an orange balaclava-style mask, loose U.S. currency, and a teller strap from the credit union.  A Fort Wayne Police Department officer retraced the route that Carter took during the foot pursuit and located a loaded .380 caliber handgun approximately 50 feet from where Carter was apprehended.  Ellington was also apprehended minutes later as he tried to kick in the back door of his mother’s house.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Indiana State Police Organized Crime and Corruption Unit; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Fort Wayne Police Department.  This case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery.