Kentucky Man Sentenced to 20 Years’ Imprisonment for Norton Bank Robbery

ABINGDON, VA—United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy announced today that Ronald Green, 49, of Isom, Kentucky, was sentenced in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to serve 20 years in prison for his involvement in the robbery of a bank in Norton, Virginia.

“Mr. Green put the lives of both bank employees and customers at risk with his brazen act of violence,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “Violent criminals like Mr. Green must be held accountable for their actions, as occurred today in federal court.”

Green was ordered to serve 240 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release for his convictions for one count of bank robbery with a dangerous weapon and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to evidence presented at hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, in early December 2011, Green staked out numerous banks in Kentucky and Southwest Virginia in preparation for finding a bank to rob. On December 9, 2011, Green entered the Norton branch of New Peoples Bank and brandished a large-caliber handgun at the bank tellers while demanding money. After receiving the money, Green exited the bank and escaped the scene on a bicycle. Green was arrested December 23, 2011 and was found to be in possession of a large amount of money stolen from the bank.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Wise Police Department, City of Norton Police Department, Virginia State Police, Kentucky State Police, Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee of the United States Attorney’s Office in Abingdon prosecuted the case.