Fort Worth Man Charged with Armed Bank Robbery
Defendant Allegedly Robbed American National Bank in Benbrook, Texas
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 14, 2011 |
FORT WORTH, TX—A federal criminal complaint was filed today charging Fort Worth, Texas, resident, Vikram Singh Chauhan with robbing the American National Bank in Benbrook, Texas, last Thursday. Chauhan, 27, made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton who ordered him detained, pending a detention hearing set for Thursday, November 17, 2011, at 2:30 p.m.
According to the complaint filed in the case, at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, Chauhan, wearing a black mask and holding a gun in his right hand, entered the American National Bank, located at 6002 Southwest Boulevard in Benbrook. He approached a teller’s counter and, throwing a bag on the counter, demanded money. The teller complied, but Chauhan demanded more money and the tellers advised that they would then have to go into the vault. Two bank employees went to the vault to open it, but were terrified and had a difficult time opening it. Chauhan became irritated and told them they had one more chance. The bank employees finally opened the vault and the Chauhan ordered them to put hundreds and twenties in the bag. He then put the two employees in separate offices and told them to wait ten minutes. He fled the bank with a significant amount of money, which was recovered when he was arrested by officers of the Benbrook Police Department at his residence later in the day.
A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged, and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The government has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury. The maximum statutory sentence for bank robbery, however, as presently charged, is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the Benbrook Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Worley is in charge of the prosecution.