DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GRETCHEN C.F. SHAPPERT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2008

CONTACT: SUELLEN PIERCE
704.338.3120
FAX 704.227.0264

CHARLOTTE MAN SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT IN CONNECTION WITH ROBBERY OF FIRST CITIZENS BANK BRANCH IN CHARLOTTE Defendant to Serve Forty Years in Federal Prison CHARLOTTE, NC - Jimmy Brice, 58, of Charlotte, was sentenced on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, to serve 480 months (40 years) in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, FBI Special Agent in Charge Nathan Gray, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe announced today.

Brice was indicted in September 2007 and at his arraignment requested a trial by jury. The jury trial was held before Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. in February 2008. Brice was found guilty by the jury, as charged, on four counts alleging 1) that he robbed the branch office of First Citizens Bank located at 4325 Randolph Road in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 17, 2007, 2) that he put in jeopardy the life of another person by using a dangerous weapon, that is, a hand gun, in robbing First Citizens, 3) that during and in relation to the robbery of First Citizens he brandished the hand gun, and 4), that during the robbery of First Citizens he was then a felon in possession of a firearm, having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, that is, he was previously convicted of seven (7) counts of Bank Robbery. Before imposing the sentence, the Court heard from a victim teller of First Citizens Bank about the impact the robbery has had on her life.

A co-defendant, Derrick Joseph Hough, 37, of Charlotte, charged with aiding and abetting Brice in the bank robbery, testified against Brice at trial and was sentenced to serve 45 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Both Brice and Hough have been in federal custody since October 2007. The sentences were handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. The case was investigated and presented for federal prosecution by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of agents and officers of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Martens, Cortney Escaravage and Nicks Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office handled the prosecution for the government.

Terms of federal imprisonment are served without the possibility of parole.