Jury Finds West Virginia Man Guilty of Armed Robbery of Westmoreland Federal Credit Union
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 06, 2012 |
PITTSBURGH, PA—After deliberating 90 minutes, a federal jury of five men and seven women found Lamont Laprade guilty of four counts of bank robbery, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit those offenses, and using a firearm, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Laprade, 35, of Huntington, West Virginia, was tried before Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose in Pittsburgh.
According to Assistant United States Attorney Constance M. Bowden, the evidence presented at trial established that Laprade committed armed robbery of the Westmoreland Community Federal Credit Union located at 1007 Georges Station Road, Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Penn., on or about Jan. 8, 2010. On or about Jan. 8, 2010, Laprade possessed a firearm, namely, a 45 caliber hand gun. Because Laprade has a previous conviction for a felony offense, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm.
Judge Ambrose scheduled sentencing for May 2012. The law provides for a total sentence of at least ten years and not more than life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offenses and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lamont Laprade.