Trio sentenced for 2021 theft of cash from armored truck outside Kokomo bank
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Three men have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to a coordinated theft from an armored truck in November 2021 in Kokomo, federal prosecutors say.
The crime happened about 2:15 p.m. Nov. 16, 2021, outside the PNC Bank, 2201 W. Jefferson St. That’s northeast of the intersection of Dixon Road and State Road 22 in Kokomo.
While searching for information about the robbery, Kokomo police had previously reported that an employee was inside the bank servicing the automatic teller machine when a man wearing a camouflaged hood, a black face mask, and dark clothing entered the armored vehicle, held the driver at gunpoint, and disarmed him.
The trio took $204,918, federal prosecutors said in a news release issued Tuesday.
“Keith Martin was sentenced in July 2023 to seven months in federal prison. Edwin Sims was sentenced in March 2023 to 12.5 years’ imprisonment. James Alexander was sentenced in August 2023 to 27 months’ imprisonment. The three defendants were each ordered to pay $135,792.85 in restitution,” the release said.
A jail booking photo of Sims was not immediately available.
In December 2021 after the arrest of Martin and Alexander, Kokomo police said the pair were from Indianapolis. The Tuesday news release from the federal prosecutors said the three men were from Kokomo.
Video showed investigators that Martin had followed the armored truck to two other stops before the crime at the bank. Cellphone records also helped investigators connect Martin and Alexander.
Statements
“This brazen conspiracy was quickly unraveled by the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI, Kokomo Police, and DEA (the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration). Federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies will continue to prioritize working with our local partners to address violent crime in our communities. The convictions and sentences in this case demonstrate that that these serious crimes carry serious consequences.”
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers
“The FBI is committed to investigating violent crime and pursuing those who commit these offenses which this sentence clearly demonstrates. The rapid response and outstanding investigative work by the FBI, the Kokomo Police Department, and the DEA ensured these three defendants are behind bars where they belong.”
Herbert J. Stapleton, FBI Indianapolis special agent in charge
