Pikeville Man Sentenced for Robbing North Carolina and South Carolina Banks

GREENVILLE—United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today, United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced Brian Garland Lancaster, 47, of Pikeville, North Carolina, to 84 months’ imprisonment, consecutive on each count, followed by five years of supervised release.

On September 16, 2013, Lancaster was charged in a three-count superseding criminal information. On September 24, 2013, he pled guilty to two counts of armed bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2113(a) and 2113(d); and to one count of attempted bank robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).

According to the investigation, on October 12, 2012, Lancaster robbed the First Citizens Bank in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with a BB gun. He took approximately $6,190. On October 16, 2012, Lancaster approached the entrance to Heritage Bank in Fremont, North Carolina, and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. A bank employee observed Lancaster’s suspicious behavior and activated the automatic door lock feature. Lancaster fled the scene. On October 17, 2012, Lancaster entered the Southern Bank in Roanoke Rapids armed with a BB gun. He pointed the gun at two tellers and commanded them to fill his bag with money. The tellers complied and Lancaster fled with $7,862.98.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, Asheville Police Department, Halifax Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney, S. Katherine Burnette prosecuted the case.