A 26-year-old San Benito man has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to robbing a Harlingen bank in November of 2020.
Gustavo Guadalupe Guevara appeared Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. who handed down the sentence. Guevara’s sentence will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release, the U. S. Attorney’s Office from the Southern District of Texas said in press release.
Guevara pleaded guilty to the charge on May 20.
According to a federal complaint, Guevara walked into the Lone Star National Bank at 1901 N. Ed Carey Drive on Nov. 3, 2020, and demanded money from a teller. He was wearing a hoodie, a black face mask and gray pants.
Guevara indicated that he wanted to make a withdrawal and then provided a note to the teller. Fearing for her safety, the teller hand the money to Guevara who fled the scene.
Authorities learned that prior to entering the Lone Star Bank, Guevara and been at the Texas Regional Bank at 2019 S. 77 Sunshine Strip. Agents obtained surveillance video from this bank and compared it to images taken from Lone Star Bank. The images were shared on social media by law enforcement authorities, the complaint stated.
Authorities received a tip about 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 identifying Guevara as the bank robber and provided a location in San Benito where he could be found.
Guevara’s family on Nov. 4 later identified him as the person seen in the surveillance video from the bank. He reportedly told his mother that the clothing worn by the bank robber belonged to him and that he destroyed it.
FBI agents met with Guevera and after reading him his Miranda Rights, Guevara admitted to committing the robbery at Lone Star Bank. A large amount of money was recovered from his residence.
Guevara will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI and Harlingen Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Coronado and Israel Cano prosecuted the case.
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