Savannah Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank Robbery
| U.S. Attorney’s Office April 07, 2014 |
SAVANNAH, GA—Charles Johnson, III, 27, of Savannah, Georgia, pled guilty last week before United States District Court Judge B. Avant Edenfield to the armed bank robbery of the Savannah Bank branch located at 100 Chatham Parkway on July 11, 2013. Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing showed that Johnson robbed the Savannah Bank at gunpoint when he vaulted the teller counter, pointed a firearm at the teller, and demanded money.
United States Attorney Edward Tarver stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s top priority is the protection of the citizens of this District. This office will continue to work with our state and federal law enforcement partners to remove violent offenders from our community.”
J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated, “This guilty plea removes a dangerous individual from the streets of Savannah. The FBI, through its Southeast Georgia Violent Crime Task Force, provides a more unified focus in targeting such repeat violent offenders for investigation and presentation for prosecution in an effort to make our community a safer place.”
Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Johnson remains in custody pending his sentence. The date for Johnson’s sentencing hearing will be set upon completion of the U.S. Probation Office’s presentence investigation. Johnson was charged with multiple other armed bank robberies in the Savannah area and his role in such acts may be considered at sentencing under the terms of Johnson’s plea agreement with the government.
The case arose out of an investigation by the FBI Safe Streets Violent Crime Task Force of Southeast Georgia, which was assisted by the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department’s S.W.A.T. Team and Central Precinct’s Tactical Investigations Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Tania D. Groover and T. Shane Mayes are prosecuting 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.