Judge Sentences Getaway Driver to 4 Years in Federal Prison

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced in federal court for aiding and abetting armed bank robbery and attempted armed bank robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer sentenced Nicole Wallace, 35, to 48 months for her crime, and ordered that she pay restitution for the money she helped steal from the bank.

According to information presented to the court, in October 2018, Wallace acted as the getaway driver for two armed bank robberies (the October 17 robbery of Huntington Bank in Pittsburgh and the October 29 robbery of the First National Bank in Pittsburgh) and one attempted armed bank robbery (at the First National Bank in Pittsburgh on October 26) in the Western District of Pennsylvania. In one of those incidents, a security guard was assaulted, drew his weapon, and there was an armed stand-off with Wallace’s co-conspirator.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Fischer stated that the sentence was warranted based on the seriousness of the offenses and the danger they posed to the community.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Vasquez Schmitt prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Wallace.