Louisiana Failed Bank Robber Sentenced After Giving Teller Threatening Note and Photographing Victim Teller

New Orleans, Louisiana – On July 21, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Joseph Reed, 35, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced to one year and one day in the Bureau of Prisons for Attempted Bank Robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113 (a).

According to court documents, Reed attempted to rob the Chase Bank in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 9, 2021. Reed walked into the bank and slipped a note beneath the protective glass. “I only want $3,000 all in hundreds don’t take long or try anything on my way out cause someone will be here for you Tuesday,” the note said. The victim teller was unable to provide the suspect with the requested cash. The suspect then took his phone out of his pocket and appeared to attempt to photograph the victim teller. The Jefferson Parish Crime Laboratory matched Reed’s fingerprints to those recovered from the demand note.

Reed was sentenced by United States Chief District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to one year and one day in the Bureau of Prisons, followed by three years of supervised release. Reed was also required to pay a $100 special assessment fee.

The work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force, as well as officers from the New Orleans Police Department and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, was lauded by U.S. Attorney Evans. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jon M. Maestri.