Atlantic County, N.J., Man Sentenced To 151 Months In Prison For Bank Robbery

CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, N.J., man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for robbing Wells Fargo Bank in Atlantic City, N.J., and Sun National Bank in Ventnor, N.J., on Jan. 12, 2012, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Larry Patrick Kearns, 46, of Landisville, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle to an Information charging him with two counts of bank robbery. Judge Simandle imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Jan. 12, 2012, Kearns entered a Wells Fargo Bank in Atlantic City, approached a bank teller, threatened her, and demanded money from her. The bank teller complied with Kearns’ demand, and Kearns fled the bank with the money. Kearns traveled to Margate, N.J., and stole a car, which he used in the robbery of the Sun National Bank in Ventnor that same day. Again, Kearns approached a bank teller, threatened her, and demanded money from her. The bank teller complied and Kearns fled the bank with the money in the stolen car. While fleeing from the robbery, Kearns crashed the stolen car into a tree and was apprehended by police.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Simandle sentenced Kearns to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $9,458 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent In Charge David Velazquez in Newark, as well as the Atlantic City Police Department, the Ventnor Police Department, the Margate Police Department and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office for the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

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Defense counsel: Maggie Moy Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Camden