BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.
announced today that Joseph Licata, 52, of Buffalo, NY, was charged by criminal
complaint with bank robbery. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years
in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Cullinane, who is
handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on January 21, 2020,
the defendant entered the M&T Bank branch on Grant Street in Buffalo, and
passed a demand note to the victim-teller. The note threatened the teller if
the teller did not give him cash. The
victim-teller complied and gave Licata U.S. currency. Later that same day, law
enforcement officers arrested the defendant and found him in possession of
currency taken during the robbery.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S.
Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained. In 2011, Licata also committed bank robbery
in Buffalo, and was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison.
The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge
Gary Loeffert, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of
Commissioner Byron Lockwood.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is
merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless
proven guilty.
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