Missouri Man and Woman Sentenced for Armed Bank Robbery

A Minor, Missouri man and a Charleston, Missouri woman who pled guilty on April 7, 2011, to a two-count indictment charging them with armed bank robbery and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence were sentenced on July 7, 2011, in United States District Court at Benton, Illinois, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Holli Wrice, 32, of Charleston, MO, was sentenced to serve 364 months in prison, consecutive to the 74-month sentence she is currently serving in an unrelated case in the Eastern District of Missouri, for a total of 420 months. Wrice was also ordered to serve a five-year period of supervised release following her prison sentence, and to make restitution in the amount of $14,428 to the bank. Richard Anderson, 21, of Minor, MO, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison, pay $14,428 in restitution to the bank and serve five years on supervised release following his prison sentence. The violations took place on November 6, 2008, at the Capaha Bank of Tamms, which is located in Alexander County.

In praising the dedicated and skilled work of the law enforcement partners involved in this case, United States Attorney Wigginton stated, “The citizens of Southern Illinois can rest easier tonight knowing that through skilled and determined police work, by law enforcement agencies forming partnerships, two very dangerous persons will not be on the streets for a long time to come. Violent offenses such as these deserve and merit lengthy sentences such as those given by the District Court today.”

Anderson and Wrice admitted to the court when they plead guilty that they robbed the Capaha Bank of Tamms, each armed with a handgun, which they brandished and pointed at the tellers and customers. Upon entering, Wrice told the teller, “Give me the money, (expletive deleted),” while pointing the gun at the teller and then handed her a note which stated: “This is a robbery, I have a gun, don’t cause a scene, and no one will get hurt. I do have a Gun!!” Bank video cameras recorded the robbery and showed that Wrice picked up the note shown to the teller and attempted to put it into the bag with the money taken from the bank, but the note fell out as the bag was pulled away from the teller window. Photos taken from the bank surveillance cameras which show both Wrice and Anderson pointing guns at the tellers and customers were broadcast to the public on local television stations the same night as the bank robbery and ultimately led to witnesses coming forward who identified Anderson. Those identifications were corroborated when Anderson’s fingerprints matched those found on the demand note. Wrice’s fingerprints were also found on the note. Through analysis of surveillance videos, detectives from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, who volunteered to assist in the investigation, were able to positively identify the types of weapons and the make of the getaway vehicle used by the robbers. The Illinois State Police then located the vehicle and the FBI was able to track the path used by the robbers both to and from the robbery through cell phone GPS information.

This investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and the Illinois State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Carr handled the prosecution.