District Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for Armed Bank Robbery in Northwest Washington
Crime Took Place in Mid-Morning in Busy Chinatown Area
| U.S. Attorney’s Office August 30, 2011 |
WASHINGTON—James Curcio, 42, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to five years and seven months in prison for a bank robbery that took place earlier this year in the Chinatown area of Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Curcio pled guilty in June 2011 to one count of bank robbery while armed. He was sentenced this afternoon by the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The judge also ordered Curcio to pay $2,829 in restitution. Upon completion of his prison term, Curcio will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, at about 9:30 a.m. on May 2, 2011, Curcio robbed the TD Bank in the 900 block of 7th Street NW, in the busy Chinatown neighborhood. He approached the teller counter and pointed an item that was observed by the teller to resemble a gun. The teller thought the weapon was a real gun and backed away from the counter. The investigation later revealed that the weapon was a nail gun, designed to expel nails at a high rate of speed.
Curcio jumped over the counter and forced the teller and another TD Bank employee to the floor at gunpoint. As both victims laid face down on the floor, Curcio removed money from the top teller drawer, and exited the bank on foot.
During a subsequent search of the defendant’s home, law enforcement found clothing worn by Curcio during the robbery.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director McJunkin, and Chief Lanier commended the exceptional investigative work of the FBI/MPD Violent Crimes Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service. They also thanked Legal Assistant LaToya Wade, who provided administrative support, and Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Warden, who assisted with asset forfeiture issues. Lastly, they praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly, who prosecuted this matter.
11-381