United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

BRIDGEPORT MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ROLE IN 2003 SHELTON BANK ROBBERY

Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES BURROUGHS, also known as “EASY,” 25, of Harral Street, Bridgeport, was sentenced today by Senior United States Senior District Judge Ellen B. Burns in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in an armed bank robbery in Shelton.  BURROUGHS pleaded guilty to the offense on August 15, 2008.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on the morning of July 19, 2003, BURROUGHS, Elton Frazier, Nathaniel Smith and Gerald Foggy, all of Bridgeport, entered the front entrance of the Fleet Bank, now Bank of America, in Shelton.  Smith served as a lookout at the front entrance of the bank and was armed with an SKS assault rifle.  During the robbery, Smith fired at least one shot into the ceiling and told one customer to “get down.”  Foggy, who was armed with a .25 caliber handgun, stole money from a safe that was located behind the bank counter, and Frazier stole money from the bank counter area.  BURROUGHS, who was also armed with a .25 caliber handgun, subdued bank customers and staff while Frazier and Foggy stole approximately $19,000.

The four men fled the scene in a stolen van, which they left at a nearby hotel parking garage after escaping in Smith’s red Acura.  Following the robbery, several articles of clothing, including a dark blue T-shirt and a latex glove, were recovered in the vicinity of the parking garage.

Law enforcement officers recovered numerous pieces of physical evidence at the scene of the crime, including a videotape of the robbery and the T-shirt and latex glove from which DNA samples were obtained.  In February 2006, Shelton police officers learned that the DNA sample recovered from one of the latex gloves matched that of Nathaniel Smith, whose DNA sample had been collected after he was convicted on an unrelated weapons charge in Connecticut Superior Court.  Smith subsequently confessed to his involvement in the robbery and admitted that Frazier, Foggy and BURROUGHS had also participated.  Frazier and Foggy were then arrested, and each admitted to his role in the robbery and identified BURROUGHS as the fourth participant.  Forensic analysis further revealed that the DNA sample recovered from another latex glove matched BURROUGHS’ DNA.  BURROUGHS was arrested and interviewed by the FBI, when he admitted his participation in the robbery.

Frazier, Smith and Foggy each pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and have been sentenced to 84 months, 60 months and 60 months of imprisonment, respectively.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Shelton Police Department and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Mattei.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov