SEATTLE
A federal judge sentenced the co-leader of group dubbed the “Buddy Bandits” who were responsible for eight robberies in 2014 to seven years in prison, officials stated.
Vincent G. Thompson recruited juveniles who he and a partner trained to commit bank robberies.
Thompson and his partner, Robert Cal Adams, also robbed Chase Bank on April 14, 2014.
At sentencing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said the sentence was appropriate because Thompson involved juveniles in the crimes.
On January 26, 2015, Thompson pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery.
Thompson’s co-defendant, Robert Adams was previously sentenced to 10 years for his involvement in a string of bank robberies where three juveniles were provided with threatening notes and instruction on how to execute the bank robberies.
In asking for the seven year sentence prosecutors wrote to the court the following comments:
“Thompson’s choice to assist in sending juveniles to rob banks presents an extraordinary risk to the community, bank tellers, security guards, law enforcement and – most significantly – the juveniles themselves. This was quite literally a tragedy waiting to happen…. for an adult to encourage juveniles to engage in serious criminal actions – simply because the adult wanted to be ‘paid’ without working – is deserving of a significant period of incarceration.”