Palmer County Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Committing Armed Robbery of Friona Federal Credit Union

AMARILLO, TX—John Michael Garibay, 22, of Friona, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson to 57 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $6,541 in restitution for committing the August 27, 2012 armed robbery of the Friona Federal Credit Union, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case, at approximately 12:06 p.m. that Monday, a man wearing a gas mask, who was later identified as Garibay, entered the credit union, walked to a teller, and demanded money. He then pulled a handgun out of his waistband and showed it to the teller. The teller gave Garibay cash, and he left the bank and headed down an alley, spilling some of the cash. He left the scene in a gray Dodge Charger.

Shortly thereafter, law enforcement located Garibay at a residence in a trailer park, where they had observed the gray vehicle. During a search of the residence, officers found items used in the robbery including matching clothing, a black Nike single strap backpack with a five dollar bill inside the bag, and a bank money strap with “Teller 33” stamped on it. Law enforcement located a .45 caliber plastic case and .45 and .38 caliber handgun rounds in the trash can in the kitchen. Garaby identified an area two spaces down from his trailer where law enforcement located a black .45 caliber semi-automatic Taurus handgun.

As law enforcement transported Garibay to the Randall County Jail, he asked how much time he would get and said, “I made the case for you by telling you where the gun was.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Friona Police Department, and the Palmer County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Drake of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Amarillo, Texas, was in charge of the prosecution.