Albuquerque Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Robbing New Mexico Bank & Trust in March 2012

ALBUQUERQUE—This afternoon a federal judge sentenced Jacob Balducci, 35, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to a 57-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for his bank robbery conviction. Balducci also was ordered to pay full restitution to the bank that was the victim of his offense.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Balducci was convicted of robbing the New Mexico Bank & Trust located at 3701 Fourth Street NW on March 17, 2012, by a guilty plea that was entered on June 6, 2012.

According to court filings, on March 17, 2012, Balducci drove up to the bank’s drive-through window and presented the teller with a note claiming that he had wired four plastic bombs to the bank and threatening to detonate the bombs unless he received cash. The bank teller complied with the demand and Balducci drove away with the cash. Thereafter, officers of the Albuquerque Police Department went to the vicinity of 6th Street and Coal Avenue NE, where they executed a stop on a vehicle that fit the description of the vehicle used by the bank robber. Based on an eye witness description of the bank robber, the officers determined that the driver, Balducci, was the bank robber. Thereafter, a witness who was at the scene of the bank robbery positively identified Balducci as the bank robber. After his arrest, Balducci admitted robbing the bank. Balducci has been in federal custody since his arrest.

The case was investigated by the Albuquerque Field Office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon K. Stanford.