Las Cruces Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Robbing 1st New Mexico Bank of Las Cruces in December 2011

ALBUQUERQUE—Daniel Francis Jones, 51, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was sentenced this morning to 70 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his bank robbery conviction. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales and Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI.

Jones was arrested on December 13, 2011, on a criminal complaint alleging that he robbed the 1st New Mexico Bank of Las Cruces located at 3000 E. Lohman in Las Cruces on December 13, 2011. He has been in federal custody since his arrest.

Court records reflect that Jones entered the bank with a backpack and approached a bank teller with a note demanding money. After obtaining cash from two bank tellers, Jones left the bank on foot and headed towards stores located near the bank. Shortly thereafter, officers of the Las Cruces Police Department detained Jones at pets store because he matched the description of the robber. Jones was arrested when the officers found him in possession of the stolen money.

Jones pled guilty to the bank robbery on March 8, 2012, without the benefit of a plea agreement.

The case was investigated by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI and the Las Cruces Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.