United States of America v. Jawuan Donte Thomas

Salt Lake City, Utah, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2113(a).

Reported by Kent Morlan

Jawuan Donte Thomas attempted to rob a bank ATM in Riverton, Utah. Thomas admitted that prior to the attempted robbery, he and two co-conspirators jammed the ATM, knowing it would cause the machine to malfunction and require the bank to call a technician to repair it. Thomas admitted to waiting in a car near the ATM and watching for the technician to arrive. Upon the technician’s arrival, Thomas and his co-conspirators drove up quickly to the ATM and Thomas jumped out of the vehicle and demanded the money. Because Thomas and his co-conspirators had jammed another ATM in Draper, Utah earlier in the day, FBI agents were staged near the Riverton location in anticipation of a potential robbery. As Thomas approached the ATM technician, FBI agents closed in to thwart the robbery. Thomas attempted to flee on foot but was captured immediately. His co-conspirators fled in the vehicle. Law enforcement seized a screwdriver from Thomas’s possession at the time of his arrest. See prior press release: Texas Man Accused of Attempting to Rob an ATM Technician is Facing Federal Charges in Utah.

The case was investigated by an FBI Task Force Officer from the South Jordan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Riverton City Police Department and the Springfield Township Police Department in Ohio.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty.