Convicted Murderer Sentenced to 135 Months in Prison for Armed Bank Robbery

BRUNSWICK, GA—James Ronald McCormick, 61, from Brunswick, Georgia was sentenced yesterday to 135 months in prison by Chief United States District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood for his role in a February 2011 armed bank robbery of the Southeastern Bank. United States Attorney Edward Tarver said, “This defendant deserved a lengthy prison sentence. McCormick terrorized the innocent and unsuspecting employees of Southeast Bank during the armed robbery. Prosecuting violent criminals like this defendant so that they will never again victimize the citizens of our communities is a high priority of this office. I applaud the expert coordination and hard work of the federal, state, and local partners who were a part of this successful effort.”

The evidence at McCormick’s guilty plea and sentencing hearings showed that on February 8, 2011, McCormick robbed the Southeastern Bank, located at 15 Trade Street in Brunswick, Georgia, by placing what appeared to be a bomb into the drive-in teller drawer and demanding money. McCormick demanded that the bank teller, who was pregnant at the time of the robbery, “Not push any buttons or give him money with a dye pack.” McCormick, assisted by his wife, Anna McCormick, fled the bank with $815, and over the course of several days, evaded capture by law enforcement. When McCormick was ultimately found, he barricaded himself in a trailer, repeatedly stated that he wanted to die, and was only apprehended by the FBI and police after a flash-bang grenade was detonated to subdue McCormick and his wife.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing further showed that McCormick had an abysmal criminal history, including prior state convictions for murder, kidnapping, and escape. With regard to McCormick’s murder conviction, the evidence showed that McCormick kidnapped the victim in Florida, placed him in the trunk of a car, traveled to Brunswick, executed the victim, and dumped his body in a swamp. McCormick was convicted of that murder and received a life sentence in Georgia, escaped from prison while serving that life sentence, was captured and returned to prison, but was later released on parole. During McCormick’s first stint on parole, he was convicted of a drug offense, and after he was paroled again, he committed this armed bank robbery.

Noting McCormick’s terrible criminal history, Chief Judge Wood ordered that McCormick’s 135-month federal sentence run consecutive to any state sentence McCormick receives for violating parole on the murder conviction. There is no parole on federal prison sentences. The Court further ordered that if McCormick is ever released from prison, he will be on federal supervised release for an additional five years.

Tarver praised the hard work and dedication of Special Agent Mark A. Alig of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and members of the Glynn County Police Department, who investigated the armed robbery and eventually captured McCormick. Assistant United States Attorney Brian T. Rafferty prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.