Houston Pair Sentenced To More Than 14 Years In Federal Prison For Bank Robbery

Fort Smith, Arkansas - Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Daniel Giles, age 29, of Houston, Texas, and Romaris Smith, age 24, of Houston, Texas, were sentenced today. Giles was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for one count of Bank Robbery, Aiding and Abetting, and eight months for Probation Revocation to been run consecutively, followed by three years of supervised release. Smith was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, for one count of Bank Robbery, and Aiding and Abetting. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.

According to court records, on July 26, 2018, Giles and Smith arrived at a Bank of Ozarks branch in Fort Smith as two bank employees were outside of the bank changing the bank’s Automated Teller Machines (ATM). Smith exited the vehicle with his face covered, and quickly picked up two ATM canisters containing over $18,000 in United States currency. Giles and Smith fled the bank headed toward Oklahoma. Giles and Smith later crashed their vehicle in Oklahoma, and the pair fled on foot. Both Smith and Giles were apprehended separately later that day. At the time Smith was apprehended, he possessed a backpack containing over $18,000.00.

Both Giles and Smith were indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2018. Giles entered a guilty plea in January 2019, and Smith entered a guilty plea in December 2018.

These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Donat prosecuted the case for the United States.