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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TUESDAY, December 5, 2006

WAKE COUNTY MAN SENTENCED FOR BANK ROBBERY

RALEIGH – United States Attorney George E. B. Holding announced today’s sentencing of KENNETH LEROY KITTRELL for the July 20, 2004, robbery of Wachovia Bank located at 3959 New Bern Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina. United States District Court Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced KITTRELL to 216 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $2,520.00 in restitution, a $5,000.00 fine, and a $100.00 special assessment.

A jury found KITTRELL guilty of the charge in August of 2006. Evidence at trial showed that on July 20, 2004, KITTRELL walked up to a teller at the bank and handed her a demand note which read “This is a stick up Put all the 100's and 20's on the top”. The teller complied, and KITTRELL fled the scene with $2,520.00. Among the evidence presented at trial, a latent print expert testified that fingerprints and a palm print left on the demand note were identified as being those of KITTRELL. In addition, the latent print expert testified that a latent shoe print recovered from the bank was made by a pair of shoes recovered from a dumpster at the motel where KITTRELL was staying at the time of the offense.

In January of 1998, KITTRELL was sentenced to forty-six months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, $2,380.00 fine and $100.00 special assessment after he pled guilty to the July 14, 1997, robbery of the Centura Bank located at 3625 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh North Carolina. While on supervised release following release on that conviction, KITTRELL violated the terms and conditions of his release by using a controlled substance. His supervised release was revoked and KITTRELL was ordered committed to federal custody for an additional twenty four months.

United States Attorney George E. B. Holding stated “Hopefully, as result of this prosecution and the significant sentence, victims of federal crimes will find some comfort in knowing that offenders will continue to be vigorously prosecuted by the U. S. Attorney’s Office.”

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh Police Department with assistance provided by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan prosecuted the case for the United States.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.