Belvidere Man Indicted in Federal Court for Robbery of Harris Bank in Belvidere

ROCKFORD—PATRICK J. FITZGERALD, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; ROBERT D. GRANT, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; MICHELLE COURIER, Boone County State’s Attorney; and JAN NOBLE, Chief of the Belvidere Police Department, today made the following announcement:

A federal grand jury in Rockford today indicted CARLOS A. HARRIS, 39, of Belvidere, Illinois, on a federal bank robbery charge for the March 26, 2011, bank robbery of Harris N.A., 401 Southtowne Drive, Belvidere, Illinois. According to the criminal complaint previously filed, at about 12:14 p.m. on March 26, 2011, Harris entered the bank and slid a note to a teller demanding $50’s and $20’s and stating he had a gun. The teller grabbed all the cash that was “strapped” (pre-counted money with a band around it denoting the amount and denomination of the bills) and placed the money on the counter. Harris grabbed the money and left the bank.

Harris was arrested on March 26, 2011 and initially charged in state court. He is presently in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, Harris faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release following imprisonment, and full restitution. The actual sentence would be determined by the United States District Court, guided by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The case was investigated by the Rockford Office of the FBI and the Belvidere, Illinois Police Department. The case is being prosecuted in federal court by Assistant United States Attorney SCOTT R. PACCAGNINI.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which time the government has the burden of proving guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.