Tonawanda Man Sentenced for Bank Robbery

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Jason Simmons, 32, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of bank robbery, was sentenced to 80 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr .

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer M. Noto, who handled the case, stated that on October 29, 2013, the defendant and another individual, A.B. Thompson, robbed the Citizens Bank branch at 2255 Hudson Avenue in Rochester, NY. During the robbery, Simmons waited in the “get away” car while Thompson entered the bank and demanded money from a teller. While in the bank, Thompson told the teller that he had a firearm, but did not want to use it. Thompson left the bank with an amount of money and Simmons drove the “get away” vehicle as the two fled the scene.

The New York State Police (NYSP) located the vehicle heading northbound on I-90 near Batavia, NY. When troopers tried to stop the vehicle, Simmons and Thompson led them on a high speed chase that ended near Pembroke, NY. The vehicle Simmons and Thompson were driving lost control, crashed into a guiderail and struck two NYSP vehicles.  The defendants were taken into custody and the stolen money was located inside the vehicle and in the pockets of the clothing worn by Simmons and Thompson.

Thompson has been convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced November 17, 2014.  Simmons was on New York State parole for a robbery-related conviction at the time of the bank robbery. Judge Geraci ordered that the defendant’s federal sentence run consecutively to the time Simmons currently serving on his parole violation.   

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Irondequoit Police Department, under the direction of Chief Richard V. Tantalo, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico.