BEAUMONT, TX—A 23-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to federal prison for robbing a bank in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Christopher M. Carmon Thomas pleaded guilty on July 29, 2014 to bank robbery and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield. Thomas was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,309.00.

According to information presented in court, on June 3, 2014, Thomas entered the Wells Fargo Bank on Gladys Avenue in Beaumont, Texas and presented the bank teller with a demand note. During the robbery, Thomas displayed a gun tucked into his pants by lifting his shirt. Thomas fled the bank with $2,309.00. Surveillance camera photographs were disseminated by the media and Thomas was identified by citizen tipsters and the victim bank teller. Thomas was taken into custody in Houston on June 25, 2014.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Craft.