Mercer County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Robbing the Same Bank Twice, Carjacking, and Shooting Two People

TRENTON—A Mercer County, New Jersey man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for robbing a bank and returning nine months later to rob the same bank, carjacking a vehicle, and shooting two people in the course of that conduct, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Jeffrey Garrett, 36, of Trenton, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to counts one, three, five, and six of an indictment charging him with two armed bank robberies, carjacking, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Garrett robbed the Chase Bank in Hamilton, New Jersey, on November 10, 2010. He handed the teller a note that stated, “I have a gun, give me all the 50- and 100-dollar bills.” He displayed a black handgun before fleeing with the cash. Surveillance cameras revealed clear images of Garrett, and FBI agents determined that Garrett used his own Visa card at the Chase Bank’s ATM just moments before the robbery. Federal authorities charged Garrett by complaint two days later and obtained an arrest warrant, but Garrett remained at large.

Nine months later, on August 23, 2011, Garrett robbed the same bank. To get to the bank, he carjacked a car at 5:30 a.m. He pistol-whipped the victim, and the gun discharged, causing the victim a serious head wound. Garrett locked the bleeding victim in the trunk of the car and shortly thereafter bound his hands with cable and threatened his life.

Garrett arrived at the same Chase Bank in Hamilton in the stolen vehicle around 10 a.m., after driving around for hours. He wore a dark baseball cap and sunglasses when he entered the bank. Showing a chrome revolver, he demanded that the teller give him all the money. When she complied, he asked for more money and threatened to shoot her if she turned any keys at her station. The handgun discharged and the teller was shot in the abdomen.

Garrett drove off in the stolen car and later abandoned it in a shopping mall parking lot in Moorestown, New Jersey, with the bound carjacking victim still locked in the trunk. Both victims survived.

Garrett was arrested in Florida on October 17, 2011.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Garrett to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez; officers of the Hamilton Township Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief James W. Collins; officers of the Trenton Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Joseph S. Juniak; and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Joseph Gribko and John E. Clabby of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.