Cameron County Man Sentenced to 171 Months in Prison for Armed Carjacking

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Thomas Edward Smith, age 59, of Emporium, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on November 1 by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to a 171-month term of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for armed carjacking.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, on August 8, 2012, Thomas Smith pretended to be working on a car parked along a street in Emporium and flagged down an employee of Citizens & Northern Bank. Smith entered the vehicle and pulled out a handgun. Smith then directed the victim to drive to the Citizens & Northern Bank branch in Emporium. Smith told the victim this would be “the worst day of her life,” that the victim and the bank had taken his house away from him in a bank foreclosure, and that the victim and another bank employee were now “going to pay for it.” The victim jumped out of the vehicle to escape from Smith, who then also fled from the vehicle.

Smith was indicted in September 2012. In August 2013, Smith was convicted of carjacking, brandishing a gun during a crime of violence, and receiving a stolen firearm stemming from an armed carjacking.

The case was investigated by the Emporium Borough Police Department, the Cameron County Sheriff, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney George J. Rocktashel.