UPDATE: Man who robbed Truist Bank in 2023 sentenced to federal prison
Gabriel Bell, a Macon resident who robbed a Truist Bank branch on Riverside Drive in 2023 while on federal supervised release, was sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday.
UPDATE (6/5/24): Gabriel Bell, a Macon resident who robbed a Truist Bank branch on Riverside Drive in 2023 while on federal supervised release, was sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
The 29-year-old was sentenced to 111 months in federal prison, consisting of 87 months for bank robbery and 24 months for violating his supervised release. Bell will also serve five years of supervised release following his prison term and was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to Truist Bank. He was found guilty of one count of bank robbery by a federal jury on March 12.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Two tips from concerned citizens helped law enforcement quickly track down Gabriel Bell, who was on federal supervised release at the time for illegally possessing a gun,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “Law enforcement at every level is committed to keeping our communities safe from violence and seeking justice for victims.”
“Bell’s prior prison time was apparently not enough for him because he returned to his robbing ways while he was still on supervised release for the last crime he committed,” Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Macon Office said. “Thanks to the assistance of our partners with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, he now will have more time in prison to think about what he’ll do when he is released from prison this time.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Bell entered the Truist Bank at 2998 Riverside Drive in Macon on February 16, 2023, at approximately 3:17 p.m., wearing a blue surgical mask. Bell handed a demand note to a teller that stated: “PUT ALL BIG BILLS IN ENVELOPE (ROBBERY) Do anything stupid, and I’ll shoot you!” The teller put her hands up and passed the note to another teller, who gave Bell cash. Bell then fled the scene. Tellers reported seeing an object at Bell’s hip that appeared to be a gun, though no weapon was recovered.
“Our citizens can be grateful that dedicated investigative work from Bibb deputies and FBI agents have resulted in a repeat offender receiving prison time as a result of choosing crime as a career,” Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance photos to the public, receiving two tips identifying Bell as the suspect. The FBI processed the demand note for fingerprints and matched two latent prints to Bell. Additionally, Bell’s cell phone and Google account location data placed him near the bank at the time of the robbery. Bell was arrested on February 20, 2023. He had previously been convicted of armed robbery in Jeffersonville in 2015 and was also found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm in 2021 in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Bell was on federal supervised release for the firearm offense at the time of the Truist Bank robbery.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuted the case for the government.
UPDATE (3/13/24): A man accused of robbing a Macon bank in 2023 was found guilty by a federal jury on Tuesday.
A U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia news release says 29-year-old Gabriel Bell was found guilty of one count of bank robbery following a two-day trial. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Bell committed the robbery at Truist Bank on Riverside Drive while on federal supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm.
A sentencing date will be scheduled by the Court, the release said.
“Gabriel Bell terrorized Truist employees when he entered the bank and demanded money while threatening to shoot them,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “People should be safe to conduct their everyday business without fear or intimidation; sending Bell back to federal prison will further that goal.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that according to court documents and evidence submitted at trial, Bell walked into the bank, located at 2998 Riverside Drive in Macon, on February 16, 2023, at approximately 3:17 p.m., wearing a blue surgical mask. There were no customers in the business at the time. Bell handed a demand note to a teller that stated: “PUT ALL BIG BILLS IN ENVELOPE (ROBBERY) Do anything stupid, and I’ll shoot you!”
The teller put her hands up and told Bell she did not have money and passed the note to another teller. This second teller gave Bell cash, after which he fled. Tellers at the bank said Bell lifted his shirt and they saw something that was described as dark, silver, with a handle and that could have been a gun. In surveillance video, Bell is seen grabbing at his hip where tellers reported they saw the object. No weapon was recovered.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office released photographs taken from surveillance video to the public and received two tips identifying the suspect as Bell, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The FBI processed the demand note for latent fingerprints and developed two latent prints that were determined to belong to Bell. The FBI also obtained location information from Bell’s cell phone and Google account which confirmed he was in the area near the bank at the time of the robbery. Bell was taken into custody on February 20, 2023.
Bell was previously convicted of armed robbery of the Huddle House in Jeffersonville in 2015. He was also convicted in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina of convicted felon in illegal possession of a firearm in 2021 and was on federal supervised release for that offense at the time of the Truist Bank robbery.
UPDATE (2/20/23): A man wanted in connection with the armed robbery at Truist Bank on February 16 is now in custody.
A Bibb County Sheriff’s Office news release says investigators identified the suspect as 28-year-old Gabriel Michael Bell. He was interviewed at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office before being taken to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center and charged.
He’s being held on charges of armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
He does not have a bond.
ORIGINAL STORY (2/16/23):
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed robbery that happened Thursday at Truist Bank, located at 2998 Riverside Drive.
It happened just before 3:30 p.m.
Witnesses told deputies a masked man armed with a handgun entered the bank and handed a note to the teller, demanding money. After receiving cash, the suspect fled the bank and was last seen running toward the wood line behind the bank.
The suspect is a man between 20 and 30 years old. He’s about 5’6″ and was wearing a blue and white mask with all black clothing. Photos are attached.
Call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 751-7500 or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME if you have information.
