Amarillo Man Indicted By Federal Grand Jury For Robbing Texas Plains Federal Credit Union

AMARILLO, Texas — James Aaron Sims, 23, of Amarillo, Texas has been charged by a federal grand jury with one count of bank robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

The indictment alleges that on February 3, 2014, Sims robbed the Texas Plains Federal Credit Union, located at 804 S. Madison in Amarillo, Texas.  Sims has been in custody since his arrest a few days after the robbery.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until or unless proven guilty.  However, if convicted, the maximum statutory penalty for the offense of bank robbery, as charged, is 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and the Amarillo Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey R. Haag, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lubbock, Texas, is in charge of the prosecution.