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Century Woman Sentenced For Quarter Million Dollar Bank Heist
January 31, 2013
A Century woman was sentenced Wednesday for her role in the quarter million dollar robbery of the Bank of Brewton last February that was carried out with the help of a bank teller.
Robin Ann Godwin, 43, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison along with mental health and substance abuse treatment. She was also ordered to pay $124,026 in restitution. She had entered into guilty plea to a bank robbery back in October. As part of that plea agreement, Godwin will not appeal her sentence.
According to federal court documents, Godwin formulated a plan with bank teller Pamela Steele to rob the Bank of Brewton. In December, Steele pleaded guilty to conspiracy for her part in the robbery and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Once released, she will remain on probation for three years. Steele was also ordered to pay $124,026 in restitution.
Both women had faced a maximum of 10 years in prison.
On February 17, 2012, Godwin entered the Bank of Brewton wearing a blue poncho, a grey fedora, large sunglasses, black face paint, a black Afro wig and body padding. Godwin asked Steele about renting a safe deposit box, and Steele took Godwin into the bank vault.
Once inside the vault, Godwin pulled a large bag out from underneath her poncho and demanded that it be filled with cash. Steele then filled the bag with approximately $255,000 in cash, federal documents state. Steele did not put any bait bills or dye packs in the bag along with the cash. Godwin then fled the bank with the bag full of money.
Godwin was taken into custody April 12 as the FBI raided a small travel trailer located in a campground at 1300 Liahona Trail in Bluff Springs.
“We are executing a search warrant related to a recent bank robbery in Brewton,” James Stewart, a FBI supervisory senior resident agent, told NorthEscambia.com as agents worked to complete their operation.
Nearly a dozen FBI agents from field offices in Mobile and Pensacola spent a couple of hours searching the travel trailer in Bluff Springs Thursday night. Multiple containers of evidence, reportedly including at least part of the $255,000 — were removed by agents and placed into the back of a SUV. Some of the federal agents were wearing shirts identifying them as members of a “FBI Evidence Response Team”. Working undercover, they would not allow their photographs to be taken by a NorthEscambia.com photographer.
Campground residents were inside neighboring travel trailers as FBI agents finished executing the search warrant. Even a couple of hours after federal agents arrived at the campground, some of the neighbors could be seen periodically peeking out of their doors and windows at the travel trailer in “Lot 2″, with it’s patio crowded with lawn chairs and outdoor decorations. Pink flamingo lawn ornaments and potted plants surrounded the patio — nothing making it look out of place for the quiet area just a few feet from the Escambia River.
Pictured bottom inset and below: FBI agents executed a search warrant related to a Brewton bank robbery at this travel trailer on Bluff Springs Road south of Century in April 2012. FBI agents, who were just off camera, would not allow their photographs to be taken. NorthEscambia.com exclusive file photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Century Woman Sentenced For Quarter Million Dollar Bank Heist”
Only 18 months?!?! There is something wrong with the justice system! If I did this crime I promise you I would have got 18 years! It must be good to be a white female!
tHOU SHALT NOT STEAL
Hey, I don’t know about you guys, the punishment should fit the crime….but 18 minutes in prison would be enough to straighten me out, even if I was so dissillusioned to think I could have pulled off a bank job to begin with. So before you get to far, just remember that they have to weigh everything out.
While what they did was reprehensible, they were charged and sentenced under FEDERAL law, not state law. Many things go into the consideration of an approriate sentence – past criminal history, etc. We don’t know what those things were, so to Monday morning quarterback the sentence is senseless. Trust me, after serving their time, they will be “on the radar” and if they commit another crime, the sentence won’t be so light! The crime was also non-violent, since it was a conspiracy and no weapon was used.
Drug dealers do far worse!
Only 18 mos. – Makes me laugh. What is even funnier is how is she going to pay restitution??? Rob another bank – lol.
>>>Additionally, I would like to add that in all likelihood, these two probably weren’t charged with robbery, but rather with theft.
The charge was bank robbery, and the plea deal was to bank robbery. And, by the way, it’s not the state. It’s federal.
wow just 18 months! If you get caught selling drugs you get 10+. If you rob a gas station you get 25+. The laws today are really screwed up. All this state wants is money. What if everyone’s starts robbing banks? 18 months is just a slap on the wrist. The judicial system needs to focus on violent offenders, people robbing and stealing
Additionally, I would like to add that in all likelihood, these two probably weren’t charged with robbery, but rather with theft. They only staged it to look like a robbery, but in order to charge as a robbery force or threat of force putting someone in fear would have to have occurred. Since these two planned it together, I doubt that the State could prove that part of the statute, which made this a nonviolent felony instead of a bank robbery.
@ab: People get 10, 20, life because they use a firearm in the commission of their crimes. In this case she did not use one (since they were in on it together) and therefore did not qualify for those minimums. So tell us why it is you think she “got off”
Well dont that take the cake. Why do they even have laws? No wonder so may people dont worry about it they know they can get a pat on t
back and break another one
Only 18 months, wow!
I am shocked at her sentence! 18 months! Wow! Good to be her.
Drug dealers and convenience store robberies get 15 to life. We all know why she got off and no it wasn’t due to mental issue or a plea deal.
@ really, that’s why things are getting worse.
If this were a male they would be looking at the 10 years easy… Females get such light sentences unless they murder someone and even then most the time it is plead down to a lesser charge and they serve 10-15 years instead of life. pfft justice system…
Took a quarter million dollars at gunpoint and only got 18 months? I’m shocked and disgusted at the light sentence.
The 18 month sentence is a slap in the face to the bank who was a victim here, and to justice who was not served. With sentences like this criminals will be bound to risk getting caught. I bet this isn’t this woman’s first time stealing either, just her first time robbing banks.
Only 18 months; for robbing a bank.