A 24-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for his role in a multi-state ATM burglary spree that targeted banks in North Texas and Arizona, ripping open cash machines with stolen trucks, chains, and hooks, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Texas.
Houston man sentenced in Texas ATM burglary spree linked to ‘Hook and Chain’ theft ring
U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan sentenced Jacobei Townsend, 24, to 48 months in federal prison on Monday after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct bank theft.
According to federal authorities, Townsend committed a series of “Hook and Chain” burglaries between August and September 2020. The method involves seizing trucks, attaching hooks and chains to them, then using the trucks’ force to break doors off ATMs before stealing the cash inside.
Authorities claimed the burglaries targeted multiple banking facilities in Texas and Arizona, including Independent Bank on North Prosper Road and Texas Bank on South Preston Road in Prosper, Texas.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), a federal program created by Executive Order 14159 to combat transnational criminal organizations, gangs, human trafficking networks, and other violent criminal activity.
The HSTF brings together agencies such as the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, IRS Criminal Investigation, US Postal Inspection Service, Secret Service, and US Marshals Service, among others.
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