MACON, Ga. – A Middle Georgia resident with a lengthy criminal history, convicted by a federal jury for his second bank robbery offense, was sentenced to serve more than 17 years in prison.
Wesley Sorrow, 50, was sentenced to serve 210 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on March 9, after being convicted of bank robbery following a three-day trial that began on Nov. 15, 2021. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Wesley Sorrow has a long criminal history. Coupled with his decision to hold up a bank within days of arriving at a Macon halfway house for a previous bank robbery, he now has to pay a steep penalty for the criminal choice he made,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Repeat offenders who continually disrupt the peace and the safety of the communities we serve will face the possibility of federal prosecution.”
“Previous federal prison time was apparently not a teaching moment for Sorrow because within a week of being released, he went right back to his bank robbing ways,” said Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “To anyone thinking about robbing a bank, the message from this sentence is clear. You will get caught, and when you do, you will serve a significant amount of time in prison.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sorrow was seven days into his residency at a halfway house after being released from federal prison for a bank robbery conviction in the Middle District of Georgia. On May 21, 2019, Sorrow walked into the American Pride Bank on Forsyth Road in Macon and presented a note to the bank teller demanding money. Sorrow took the cash and left the bank, returning to the halfway house. Sorrow was captured later that day and cash stolen from the bank was recovered from his locker. Sorrow has a lengthy criminal history, which was considered at his sentencing, including a previous bank robbery, robbing a person at gunpoint twice, forgery and multiple drug charges.
The case was investigated by FBI and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joy Odom and Robert McCullers prosecuted the case.