Career Criminal from Albuquerque Sentenced to 272 Months for Brandishing a Firearm During Bank Robbery in February 2014

ALBUQUERQUE – A career offender who was prosecuted under the federal “worst of the worst” anti-violence initiative was sentenced this afternoon in federal court for his conviction on bank robbery and firearms charges arising out of the Feb. 19, 2014, armed robbery of the First Financial Credit Union (the bank) located at 2929 Coors Blvd in Albuquerque, N.M.

Devin Jasperse, 31, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for the bank robbery conviction and an additional seven years in prison for brandishing a firearm during the robbery.  Because the seven-year sentence on the firearms charge must be served consecutive to the 188 month sentence on the bank robbery charge, Jasperse will serve 272 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.  Jasperse was also ordered to pay restitution to the bank that was the victim of his crime.

 U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and Chief Gorden Eden, Jr., of the Albuquerque Police Department noted that Jasperse was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

Jasperse was arrested on March 27, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with the armed robbery of the bank on Feb. 19, 2014, and with brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  Jasperse subsequently was indicted on the same charges in a two-count indictment on April 23, 2014.

On March 5, 2015, Jasperse pled guilty to both counts of the indictment and admitted robbing the bank at gunpoint.  Jasperse admitted climbing over the teller counter, and yelling that he was committing a bank robbery and that he had a gun.  After three bank tellers complied with his demands for cash, Jasperse climbed back over the teller counter and ran out of the bank with the cash.  In entering his guilty plea, Jasperse also admitted that he disposed of the gun he used in the armed bank robbery and that he had stashed another firearm at an apartment which was later seized by law enforcement.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Wei-Yu Wang is prosecuting this case.