Former Corrections Deputy Charged In Bank Heist

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Elizabeth Brooks Perkins (46, Brooksville) with bank robbery and a related firearms offense.  If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.  Perkins was arrested on July 7, 2016.

According to the complaint, at 4:30 p.m. on February 10, 2016, Perkins visited the Sunshine Bank in Plant City and met with the Branch Manager to discuss a purported land purchase.  When the bank closed, she brandished a semi-automatic pistol and held two employees at gunpoint. After stealing $110,000, Perkins duct-taped the employees and fled.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.               

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Plant City Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.