Farmington Man Sentenced to 262 Months in Prison for Attempting to Rob Wells Fargo Bank in Raton, New Mexico

Defendant to Serve a Total of 300 Months’ Imprisonment

ALBUQUERQUE—Today in Albuquerque federal court, Michael Lee Montoya, 32, of Farmington, N.M., was sentenced to a 262-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for his conviction on conspiracy to commit bank robbery and attempted bank robbery charges. Because 60 months of Montoya’s prison sentence is to be served consecutive to a 240-month prison sentence previously imposed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Montoya will serve a total sentence of 300 months in prison.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Montoya’s conviction was based on his unsuccessful effort to rob the Wells Fargo Bank located at 1103 South 2nd Street, in Raton, N.M. on April 23, 2009.

Montoya, who has been in federal custody since his arrest on March 26, 2010, went to trial on a second superseding indictment charging him with (1) conspiracy to commit bank robbery, (2) carrying a firearm during and in relation to the bank robbery conspiracy, (3) attempted bank robbery, and (4) carrying a firearm during and in relation to an attempted bank robbery. On July 1, 2011, a federal jury convicted Montoya on counts one and three after a five-day trial, but was unable to reach a verdict on counts two and four.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raton Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shana B. Long and David M. Walsh.