Armed Robber of Mechanics Bank Sentenced

Fairfield Resident to Serve 60 Months

February 19, 2010 - OAKLAND—Terrol Casborn was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison, and was ordered to pay $30,981 in restitution, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.

Casborn, 33, of Fairfield, Calif., pleaded guilty in federal court on Nov. 13, 2009 to Armed Bank Robbery of the Mechanics Bank in Concord, Calif., which resulted in the bank’s loss of $19,242. In his plea agreement, Casborn agreed to pay restitution in the total amount of $30,981.00, which represents the $19,242 stolen from the Mechanics Bank; $4,508 stolen from the ECC Bank in Concord on Jan. 22, 2009; and $7,231 stolen from the ECC Bank in Concord on Nov. 26, 2008.

Casborn admitted in his plea agreement that he entered the Mechanics Bank on Aug. 8, 2008, pulled a black ski mask down over his face, and then removed what appeared to be a real semi-automatic black handgun from his front waistband. While brandishing and pointing the handgun, he yelled at bank employees and customers to put their hands in the air and then ordered them to get down on the floor. Casborn approached the tellers’ counters and demanded that two tellers fill bags provided by him with money from their teller drawers. When one teller was not filling the bag fast enough, Casborn waved the handgun in the air and yelled at her to “hurry up.” After both tellers complied, Casborn grabbed the bags of money and ordered them to get on the floor. As Casborn walked towards the exit of the bank, a bank courier walked into the bank. Casborn pointed the handgun at the courier and ordered him to the floor Casborn further admitted that he brandished and pointed the handgun during the bank robbery with the intent to reasonably cause the bank employees and customers to fear bodily harm so as to force the tellers to give him $19,242.00 belonging to the bank.

According to court documents, Casborn used the same modus operandi during the armed bank robbery of the Mechanics Bank that was used by the robber of the ECC Bank on Jan. 22, 2009. The police recovered a black ski mask near each of the banks following those armed bank robberies. A forensics analysis matched the DNA from those ski masks with Casborn’s DNA. In a court document, Casborn admitted, through his attorney, that he committed multiple bank robberies.

Casborn was arrested on June 13, 2009 after law enforcement received an anonymous call that he was at a residence in Oakley, Calif. After the police knocked on the door of that residence, Casborn was observed jumping out of the second floor. Casborn jumped fences and ran though neighborhood yards to flee from the police. The police set up a perimeter and elicited the assistance of a California Highway Patrol helicopter and a K-9 dog to search for Casborn. The helicopter pilot spotted Casborn hiding on the berm on the side of a trail. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge D. Lowell Jensen following a guilty plea to count one of the two-count indictment charging armed bank robbery at the Mechanics Bank on Aug. 8, 2008, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2113(a) and (d). Pursuant to the plea agreement, after sentencing on count one, the government moved to dismiss the second count in the indictment, which charged Casborn with an Armed Bank Robbery at the ECC Bank on Jan. 22, 2009. Judge Jensen also sentenced Casborn to five years of supervised release, which will commence after his prison term has been served, and ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment.

Deborah R. Douglas is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Legal Assistant Laurie Best. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.