Las Vegas Man Indicted for Grand Junction Bank Robberies

DENVER—Douglas Edward James, a Las Vegas, Nevada man, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver yesterday on two counts of bank robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, United States Attorney David Gaouette and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge James Davis announced. James was earlier arrested in Las Vegas by FBI agents based on a Criminal Complaint filed in Colorado on October 22, 2009. He is now in federal custody. No initial appearance date has yet been set.

According to the indictment, on July 17, 2009, James robbed a Wells Fargo Bank branch located at 2251 Broadway in Grand Junction, Colorado. On October 21, 2009, the indictment alleges that James robbed the First National Bank of the Rockies, located at 2775 Acrin Avenue, in Grand Junction, Colorado. Further, on that same date, James allegedly brandished a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, namely the bank robbery on the same date.

If convicted of the July 17, 2009 bank robbery James faces not more than 20 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine. If convicted of the October 21, 2009 armed bank robbery, James faces not more than 25 years incarceration, and up to a $250,000 fine. If convicted of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, the defendant faces a mandatory seven-year consecutive sentence to the bank robbery sentence.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Grand Junction and Las Vegas, with substantial assistance from the Grand Junction Police Department and the Las Vegas Police Department.

James is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wyatt Angelo.

The charges in this matter are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.