Rocklin
Woman Dubbed "The Grandma Bank Robber" Pleads
Guilty to Armed Bank Robbery and to Defrauding Her
Former Employer
SACRAMENTO—United
States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today
that VALERIE HARRIS, 50, of Rocklin, California, pleaded
guilty on Monday, March 24, 2008, to a single count
of armed bank robbery and six counts of bank fraud
before United States District Court Judge Frank C.
Damrell, Jr.
The case
is being investigated by the Sacramento Violent Crimes
Task Force, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
the Roseville Police Department, and the Sacramento
County Sheriff’s Office. During the early stages
of the investigation, the task force dubbed the perpetrator
“The Grandma Bank Robber” because surveillance
photos depicted the robber to be between her early
50s to early 60s.
According
to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez,
who is prosecuting the case, HARRIS admitted in federal
court that she used and carried a “Colt 454
Cowboy Style Pistol”during commission of her
bank robbery on December 12, 2007. HARRIS brandished
the pistol to a victim teller at the U.S. Bank located
inside of a Safeway grocery store at 989 Sunrise Avenue,
Roseville, California at approx. 6:00 p.m. HARRIS
was arrested on December 18, 2007 after law enforcement
received a tip that HARRIS attempted to pay a debt
with bank robbery loot. During the course of the armed
bank robbery investigation, the FBI uncovered additional
fraud crimes committed by HARRIS. As a result, HARRIS
also pleaded guilty to executing a fraudulent scheme
to defraud Bank of America by cashing stolen and forged
checks. Harris admitted her bank fraud scheme began
in December 2004 and continued to May 2005. Harris
stole remittance checks from her employer, a company
providing medical services in Sacramento, and then
she altered, forged, and stole the proceeds by negotiating
the checks. HARRIS used the proceeds—nearly
$40,000—to obtain cash and to pay personal debt.
HARRIS
faces up to 25 years in federal prison for her armed
robbery of the U.S. Bank on December 12, 2007. For
each bank fraud charge, HARRIS faces up to 30 years
federal prison. Penalties for each count also include
up to five years of supervised release and a fine.
The actual sentence, however, will be determined at
the discretion of the court after consideration of
the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into
account a number of variables and any applicable statutory
sentencing factors. Harris remains in federal custody
awaiting sentencing on June 2, 2008.
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