Phoenix Man Sentenced To 235 Months In Federal Prison For Armed Bank Robbery

PHOENIX – On May 15, 2013, Jon Phillip Carstens, 47, of Phoenix, Ariz. was sentenced by visiting U.S. District Judge Linda R. Reade to 235 months in federal prison for robbing a Wells Fargo Bank in Yuma, Ariz.  Carstens pleaded guilty on Feb. 8, 2013 to armed bank robbery.

According to the plea agreement, Carstens entered a Wells Fargo Bank in Yuma, wearing a hat and a scarf which covered his face.  After entering the bank, Carstens approached the victim teller brandishing a .380 caliber pistol, and jumped over the counter to the victim teller’s side while continuing to brandish the firearm.  He grabbed money from the teller drawer, jumped back over the counter, exited the bank, and jumped into a Honda Civic and fled.  He was later apprehended in Imperial County, Calif.  Carstens had previously been convicted of bank robbery in Tampa, Fla. 

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, Yuma Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, United States Border Patrol, and the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office.  The prosecution was handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-12-1669-PHX-NVW
RELEASE NUMBER:     2013-040_Carstens

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/