‘SLEEPOVER BANDIT’ SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ATTEMPTED ROBBERY AND CONSPIRACY TO ROB BANKS AND A CREDIT UNION IN ROCKLAND AND SULLIVAN COUNTIES

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HURGENES PIGNARD, a/k/a “Pop,” of Piermont, Rockland County, New York, was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 175 months’ imprisonment for his participation in the attempted bank robbery of the First National Bank of Jeffersonville in Loch Sheldrake, New York, the attempted bank robbery of the Charter One Bank in Spring Valley, New York and the robbery of the Palisades Federal Credit Union in Pearl River, New York.

As demonstrated by the evidence at trial:

HURGENES PIGNARD, together with RICHARD REGIS, BYRON LINDSAY, ELDON DALY, JAMEL BUSSEY and others conspired to rob banks and a credit union from December 2004 through May 2005. The crew modeled their robberies after “Sleepover Bandits,” a 2001 movie about robbers who would arrive at a bank employee’s house the night before the robbery, take them and their family hostage, and rob the bank the next morning.

On February 3, 2005, PIGNARD and his conspirators, followed an employee of the Charter One Bank of Spring Valley, New York to the employee’s home. The robbers planned to take the employee hostage overnight at his home overnight and then take the employee back to the bank the next morning to rob the bank. That night, in the employee’s driveway, PIGNARD and his conspirators took the employee hostage at gunpoint. Thereafter, they entered the home and engaged in a violent struggle with one of the residents. That individual was pistol whipped by the robbers and left bleeding from injuries to the individual’s face and head. Realizing that their bank robbery plan had been foiled, PIGNARD and his conspirators fled.

On April 20, 2005, PIGNARD and his conspirators, armed with a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol and pellet guns, set out for the home of an employee of the First National Bank of Jeffersonville in Loch Sheldrake, New York. PIGNARD and his coconspirators planned to break into the employee’s home, bind her with plastic ties and handcuffs, and obtain information from her about the bank’s procedures in order to rob the bank the next morning. Their plan was foiled when an alert neighbor spotted PIGNARD and his cohorts breaking into the employee’s home and called the police. PIGNARD and his cohorts fled before the police arrived.

Thereafter, on May 18, 2005, PIGNARD and his coconspirators, disguised and armed with pellet guns, robbed the Palisades Federal Credit Union in Pearl River, New York, of $219,700. During the robbery they tied up 12 credit union employees and customers with plastic ties and held them at gunpoint.

PIGNARD was found guilty of one count of conspiring to commit bank and credit union robbery, and one count of attempted bank robbery in connection with the First National Bank of Jeffersonville in Loch Sheldrake. PIGNARD was acquitted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of that attempted bank robbery, and the jury failed to reach a verdict on the count of the Indictment that charged attempted armed robbery of the Charter One Bank in Spring Valley, New York.

PIGNARD also pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. When Pignard was arrested by the FBI on bank robbery charges in August 2006, he attempted to dispose of cocaine stored in his apartment by breaking his bedroom window and throwing the cocaine into the parking lot of his apartment complex. The cocaine was recovered by members of the Piermont Police Department aiding the FBI during the arrest.

In addition to being sentenced to 175 months’ imprisonment, Pignard was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release, and must make restitution to the Palisades Federal Credit Union in the amount of $219,700.

To date the investigation of the bank robberies has resulted in the prosecution and conviction of four other individuals: REGIS, LINDSAY, DALY and BUSSEY, each of whom pleaded guilty to related federal charges. On November 13, 2006, United States District Judge COLLEEN MCMAHON sentenced REGIS to 211 months’ imprisonment for his participation in the robbery and attempted robbery of seven banks, check cashing establishments and credit unions throughout Bronx, Rockland, Sullivan and Nassau counties. BUSSEY is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge MCMAHON on October 19, 2007. LINDSAY is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge

MCMAHON on December 6, 2007. DALY is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge MCMAHON on December 6, 2007.

Mr. GARCIA said that the investigation is ongoing.

Mr. GARCIA praised the efforts and assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orangetown Police Department, the Piermont Police Department, the New York State Police, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the Nassau County Police Department and the New York City Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney JOHN P. COLLINS, JR. is in charge of the prosecution.

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