Post Office Robbers Sentenced
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 12, 2009 |
MACON, GA—G.F. Peterman, III, Acting United States Attorney, announced that Vernon Anthony Reid, a/k/a "Tigger," and Darius Jerome Flowers were sentenced today before the Honorable Hugh Lawson, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia. Reid was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) without the possibility of parole followed by five years of supervised release.
Flowers was sentenced to 18 months without the possibility of parole followed by three years of supervised release.
Flowers entered his guilty plea to conspiracy to commit robbery of money belonging to the United States on August 12,2009 in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Reid entered his guilty to the offense of robbery of money belonging to the United States on September 3, 2009 in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2114.
On December 5, 2008, Reid along with another co-defendant entered the United States Post Office located at 1040 Pio Nono Avenue in Macon, Georgia. Reid was armed with a shotgun, while his co-defendant was armed with a pistol. Reid demanded money from postal employees and received just over $6,000.00 in money belonging to the United States Postal Service. Flowers participated in the robbery by entering the post office and providing Reid with information about the occupants of the post office.
The 180-month sentence imposed on Reid was the result of an upward increase in the sentence by the sentencing court based on the seriousness of the crime. The 18-month sentence imposed on Flowers was a reduced sentenced based on Flowers' cooperation with law enforcement officials.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia G.F. Peterman, III stated that: "Violent crime will be met with swift justice and punitive sentences. Any person who uses a firearm to commit a federal violent crime will be subject to serious prison time in the Middle District of Georgia."
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI), and Macon Police Department.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney's Office, at (478) 621-2602.