Texas men sentenced to federal prison after ATM robbery in Tallahassee

Two Texas men have been sentenced to federal prison after robbing a Wells Fargo ATM in Tallahassee last year, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.

Charles Deon Mathews, 30, and Shair Trymaine Fields, 31, both of Houston, Texas, will spend approximately four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

According to the release, both men were each ordered to pay $88,710 in restitution to Wells Fargo and forfeit $88,710 to the government.

The duo drove from Houston, Texas last July 19 to commit a robbery of a Wells Fargo ATM off Mahan Drive. The pair jumped a technician while he was repairing the machine.

“During the robbery, Mathews and Fields, wearing hoods and masks, jumped out of a rental car and ran toward the ATM technician who was walking backwards,” the news release said.

Mathews grabbed four cassettes of money before fleeing to Gainesville. There they paid cash for flights back to Houston.

The robbers used a calculated tactic that has been used to carry out similar robberies across the country.

As reported by Fresh Take Florida, the men damage the ATM just enough to cause the machine to send an error message, but not enough to send out a “panic” warning.

The error message causes a technician to repair the machine, and the thieves hide and wait to pounce on the worker while the money is accessible.

Tallahassee police worked with the FBI during the initial investigation to help the federal agency identify the two men, the release said.

Investigators discovered that Mathews and Fields were in Detroit, Michigan, when another ATM technician was robbed at a Chase Bank ATM a month later. According to a report from Fresh Take Florida, they were not charged with the crime.

With the help of the Houston Police Department, the FBI was able to locate and arrest the two thieves on federal warrants.

“Communities across the country are safer with these criminals behind bars,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Kristin Rehler.

“This case illustrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting communities from violent crimes. We will continue to identify and disrupt violent acts through intelligence-driven investigations and close partnerships with state, local and tribal law enforcement.”

Breaking & Trending News Reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

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