Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Bank Robbery

NEW ORLEANS –  U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that JOSEPH REED, age 35, of New Orleans, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to Bank Robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a).

According to court documents, on October 9, 2021, REED attempted to rob the Chase Bank in New Orleans, Louisiana. REED entered the bank on foot and slipped a note underneath the protective glass. The victim teller was unable to dispense the cash requested by the suspect. The suspect then removed his phone from his pocket and appeared to try and take a photograph of the victim teller.

REED faces a maximum of twenty (20) years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release following his release from prison, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. United States Chief District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown has set sentencing for July 21, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force as well as officers with the New Orleans Police Department and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Maestri is handling the prosecution.