Armed Bank Robber Is Sentenced To More Than 15 Years

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced that Terie Smith, 42, of Wingate, N.C., was sentenced to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release in prison for armed bank robbery.

Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in North Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on December 24, 2018, Smith robbed the SunTrust bank branch located at 1935 Galleria Blvd in Charlotte. Court records show that Smith entered the bank wearing an orange ski mask. At the time, three bank tellers were working. Smith was carrying a bookbag in one hand and a firearm in the other. After Smith entered the bank, he approached each teller and demanded money. The tellers handed Smith $21,742 and Smith fled the scene. Smith was arrested on January 15, 2019. At the time he committed the armed bank robbery, Smith was on supervised release for a previous federal bank robbery conviction in 2003. Smith was also previously convicted of Felony Breaking and Entering, Felony Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault on a Female, and Felony Second Degree Kidnapping. Under federal sentencing law, Smith was subject to an enhanced sentence as a Career Offender, based on his prior convictions.

Smith is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

The FBI and CMPD investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cortney Randall and Matthew Warren handled the prosecution.