Serial bank robber gets 20-year sentence

ATHENS – A serial bank robber who went on a crime spree within weeks after being released from a federal prison was sentenced to 20 years in prison for bank robbery, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Charles Peeler said in a news release.

Frank Douglas, 61, of South Carolina, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal after pleading guilty to one count of bank robbery. Douglas was released from a federal prison on Sept. 29, 2017, after serving a 10-year sentence for bank robbery. Shortly after his release, Douglas robbed three banks in November and December 2017 in Georgia and South Carolina. Douglas’ sentencing was based on the robbery of the Bank of America in Athens. In addition to the prison sentence, Royal ordered Douglas pay Bank of America $6,700 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Violent crimes will not be tolerated in our communities, and we will do our part to hold violent criminals accountable,” Peeler said. “This serial bank robber has continually demonstrated he is unable to abide by the basic laws that govern our society, and he is facing a stiff sentence as a result.”

“Ten years in federal prison was apparently not a teaching moment for Douglas because within weeks of being released, he went right back to his bank-robbing ways,” Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said. “Thanks to the assistance of our partners with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, he’ll have 20 more years to think about what he’ll do the next time he is released from prison.”

Douglas admitted that he robbed three banks in 2017 while he was on federal supervised release, having served 10 years in federal prison after confessing to robbing five banks. Douglas, wearing a stocking cap and glasses, entered the Bank of America in Athens on Dec. 5, 2017. He passed the teller a note that read, “ALL LARGE BILLS I HAVE A GUN I WILL SHOOT.” No witnesses saw a gun, but Douglas repeatedly told the teller he had one and would shoot her. He escaped with $6,702 in cash. Douglas also admitted to robbing the BB&T bank in Conyers on Nov. 20, 2017 and the South State Bank in North Augusta, S.C., on Nov. 27, 2017. Douglas was taken into custody on Dec. 12, 2017 in Greenville County, S.C.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Easterling and Tamara Jarrett prosecuted the case for the government.

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