DALLAS—Jason Montes, one of the "Grand Prairie Bandits," was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey, to a total of 4755 months (396 1/4 years) in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Judge Godbey also ordered that Montes, 21, of Grand Prairie, Texas, pay more than $126,000 in restitution.

Jason Montes and Margarito Armijo, 20, also of Grand Prairie, were convicted following a week-long trial in April 2008 on all counts of a superseding indictment that charged them with various felony offenses related to nine armed bank robberies they committed in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area in 2006.

Montes was convicted on eight counts of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, 16 counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence, and eight counts of bank robbery. Armijo was convicted of on eight counts of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, 16 counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence, and eight counts of bank robbery. He is scheduled be sentenced next Monday, September 29, 2008, at 9:00 a.m., by Judge Godbey. Co-defendant Luis Favila, 20, of Grand Prairie, pled guilty in September 2007 to nine counts of bank robbery and two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence during the commission of two of the bank robberies. He was sentenced in June 2008 to a total of 505 months (42 years) in prison.

During trial, the government called 45 witnesses to prove that the defendants committed the following armed bank robberies:

July 8, 2006 - Wells Fargo Bank
1889 Brown Blvd., Arlington, Texas

August 5, 2006 - Bank of America
5400 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, Texas

August 11, 2006 - Chase Bank
2530 Fort Worth Ave., Dallas, TX

August 12, 2006 - Bank of America
720 N. Watson Road, Arlington, TX

September 5, 2006 Compass Bank
5980 S. Cooper, Arlington, TX

September 14, 2006 - Citibank
2450 Hall Johnson Road, Grapevine, TX

September 16, 2006 - Wells Fargo Bank
1050 Market Place Blvd., Irving, TX

September 30, 2006 - Regions Bank
743 N. Highway 67, Cedar Hill, TX

The defendants were part of a "take-over" crew of armed bank robbers, a crew that committed each of these robberies in the same fashion. The robbers, armed with large caliber pistols and dressed in black, would enter each of these banks and threaten bank employees and customers with death if they did not comply with their demands. The defendants then assaulted the bank tellers at gunpoint and demanded the cash that was under their control. They executed each bank robbery in less than one minute.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Dallas, Arlington, Irving, Grapevine, and Cedar Hill, Texas Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Tromblay prosecuted the case.