Williamsburg Couple Sentenced For Committing Series Of Bank Robberies

LONDON, KY - A Williamsburg, KY., couple was sentenced today for robbing numerous banks in eastern Kentucky and Tennessee.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove sentenced 32 year-old Jason Fox, aka “The Bad Hair Bandit,” to 20 years, for seven separate counts of bank robbery and armed bank robbery. His wife, Tasha Fox, 28, was sentenced to 10 years, for aiding and abetting in several of those robberies. Both defendants will also be on supervised release for five years, after their prison terms are completed. Judge Van Tatenhove also ordered Jason Fox to pay $80,028.30 in restitution; Tasha Fox is jointly and severally responsible for $57,956.88 of that restitution amount.

In a guilty plea earlier this year, Jason Fox admitted that, in 2011, he robbed a total of seven banks located in Barbourville, KY., Corbin, KY., Pine Knot, KY., Williamsburg, KY., Jellico, Tenn., and LaFollette, Tenn. In five of those robberies, he possessed a semi-automatic handgun; Fox sometimes brandished or pointed the gun at bank tellers as he demanded money.

The banks Fox robbed include: Commercial Bank, in Barbourville, on June 17, 2011; Bank of McCreary County, in Pine Knot, on July 5, 2011; Forcht Bank, in Barbourville, on August 19, 2011; Hometown Bank, in Corbin, on October 25, 2011; the Wal-Mart branch of the L&N Federal Credit Union, in Williamsburg, on December 1, 2011; First Volunteer Bank, in Jellico, Tenn., on June 9, 2011; and the Y-12 Federal Credit Union, in LaFollette, Tenn., on October 28, 2011.

In four of these bank robberies, Tasha Fox drove the “getaway” car for her husband. She also pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Under federal law, both defendants will have to serve at least 85 percent of their respective prison sentence.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, William C. Killian, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, jointly announced the sentence today.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Dotson.