Serial Bank Burglar Sentenced to Eight Years

TAMPA, FL—U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced Tyrone Michael Brinkley (45, Spring Hill) today to eight years in federal prison for multiple bank burglaries that he committed in the Tampa Bay area between December 3, 2012, and January 5, 2013. Brinkley pleaded guilty on May 2, 2013.

According to court documents, Brinkley was released from prison in North Carolina in November 2012 after serving a prison term for a series of bank burglaries that he committed in the Durham area. Upon his release, Brinkley moved to Hernando County, Florida and within two weeks began another crime spree, burglarizing nine banks in the Tampa Bay area. Three of the burglaries occurred on Christmas Eve. During each burglary, Brinkley broke into the bank in the middle of the night. He shattered the glass window with a rock, used a pry bar to open drawers at teller stations, and removed loose and wrapped coins or cash.

During the execution of a search warrant at Brinkley’s Spring Hill residence, law enforcement officers located the tools Brinkley used during the burglaries, including, among other things, a blue duffel bag containing a pry bar, gloves, pieces of broken glass, a knit cap, and a Garmin GPS. Records showed that Brinkley has over 40 prior criminal convictions and has been a habitual bank burglar since at least 1999.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Brooksville Police Department, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.