Albuquerque Man Charged with Robbing Bank of the West

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, a United States Magistrate Judge found that there was probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Albuquerque resident Edward Lee Bowlin, 43, with bank robbery. If convicted of the offense, Bowlin faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a maximum $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Bowlin will remain in federal custody pending trial.

United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Bowlin was arrested on April 14, 2011 and charged with robbing the Bank of the West branch located at 5401 Gibson Boulevard SE in Albuquerque (bank). According to the criminal complaint, the bank was robbed by a man who entered the bank, claimed to be armed, and demanded money from a teller. After the teller provided the robber with cash, the robber fled on foot. After obtaining a description of the robber from witnesses, officers of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) canvassed the area and detained Bowlin, a man fitting the description of the robber. After the victim bank teller identified Bowlin as the person who robbed the bank, APD arrested Bowlin and transported him to the office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for further investigation.

The case was investigated by APD and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman Cairns.