GREENEVILLE, TN—On Aug. 27, 2014, Brandy Joe Charles, 40, of Franklin, N.C., and Anthony Robert Clifton, 23, of Houston Texas, were each sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge, for their roles in the robbery of Tennessee State Bank in Newport, Tenn. Charles was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison and Clifton was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison.

Upon their release from prison, each will be subject to supervised release under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years. There is no parole in the federal system.

Both Charles and Clifton pleaded guilty to the December 2012 bank robbery of the Tennessee State Bank and to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of the robbery. Charles and Clifton have also been indicted in the Northern District of Georgia with bank robbery of the Suntrust Bank in Gainesville, Ga., and with brandishing a firearm in furtherance of this robbery. If convicted in Georgia, both face a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years and up to life in prison, which must be served consecutive to the sentence imposed in Tennessee.

U.S. Attorney William C. Killian praised the cooperative efforts of the Newport Police Department and FBI for the investigation of this case resulting in lengthy sentences for these armed and dangerous individuals. “These individuals were sentenced appropriately for their violent criminal acts. Fortunately, the victims in this robbery were not physically harmed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to vigorously prosecute cases involving violent acts such as these,” said Killian.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the joint investigation included the Newport Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Gregory Bowman represented the United States.