Bank Robbery "Getaway" Driver Sentenced
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Franchie Farmer, 39, of Tamms, IL, formerly of Thebes, IL, was sentenced on September 13, 2012, in Federal Court in Benton, Illinois to 141 months in prison for her role in a bank robbery that occurred in Tamms, Illinois, in 2008. Farmer was convicted of armed bank robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence in June of this year. The offense occurred on November 6, 2008, at the Capaha Bank in Tamms, Illinois.
Evidence at trial established that Farmer was the getaway driver for two other individuals who robbed the Capaha Bank. Those individuals, Holli Wrice and Richard Anderson, entered the bank, drew firearms and ordered all the customers to the floor. They then took over $14,000 from two tellers who were threatened at gunpoint. Under federal law, because Farmer aided Wrice and Anderson, she could be found guilty of the same crimes for which they were convicted. Wrice received a 35 year sentence for her role in the offense and Anderson received a 10 year sentence.
A jury convicted Farmer after hearing three days of testimony. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Illinois State Police.
The trial was conducted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas E. Leggans.
