May 26, 2004 – LAWFUEL – Marcos Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael S. Clemens, Acting Special Agent in Charge, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Ed Bieluch, Sheriff, Palm Beach County, announced today that a federal jury in West Palm Beach found Patrick Knighton, 34, of Riviera Beach, guilty on all counts of a seven-count indictment which charged him with three counts of conspiracy to commit bank robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371; three counts of bank robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a); and one count of bank robbery involving an assault on a bank employee during the commission of the robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a) and (d). The defendant faces a maximum penalty of up to five (5) years’ imprisonment on each of the conspiracy counts, up to twenty (20) years’ imprisonment on the bank robbery counts, and up to twenty-five (25) years’ imprisonment on the count charging assault during the commission of the bank robbery. The defendant also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the seven counts.
According to the evidence presented by the Government at trial, Knighton planned and committed four separate robberies on the following dates and locations: on November 19, 2002, at Palm Beach County Bank, in Greenacres; on December 13, 2002, at Palm Beach County Bank, in Greenacres; on December 31, 2002, at Wachovia Bank, in Riviera Beach; and on June 19, 2003, at Bank of America, in Boynton Beach.
Mr. Jimenez commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and the Police Departments of Greenacres, Riviera Beach and Boynton Beach, Florida. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adrienne Rabinowitz and Lauren Jorgensen.
