Woman Sentenced to Prison for Armed Bank Robbery

RICHMOND, Va. – A Vermont woman was sentenced today to 7 1/2 years in prison for her role in two area bank robberies.

According to court documents, in December 2017, Jennifer Bessette, 34, of Milton, and two co-conspirators planned and executed bank robberies of a BB&T Bank in Henrico and a Wells Fargo Bank in Richmond. Bessette served as the getaway car driver and wrote the demand notes. The robbery crew obtained approximately $1,200 in cash from the Wells Fargo Bank robbery and $4,200 in cash from BB&T. GPS locators in the money stolen during the Wells Fargo robbery led law enforcement to apprehending the defendants. 

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Alfred Durham, Chief of Richmond Police, and Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-66.