Two Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Robbery in Tallahassee

Two men were sentenced to federal prison for robbing an ATM technician repairing a Wells Fargo ATM off Mahan Drive in Tallahassee. Charles Deon Mathews, 30, and Shai Trymaine Fields, 31, both of Houston, Texas, were sentenced to 51 months by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Mathews and Fields drove from Houston to Tallahassee on July 19, 2023 to commit the crime. Mathews and Fields jumped out of a rental vehicle wearing hoods and masks and rushed at the ATM technician who backed away. Mathews removed four cassettes of money from the ATM, and the two men then fled. Mathews and Fields then traveled down to Gainesville, Florida, where they paid cash for flights back to Houston.

“This conviction highlights the Tallahassee Police Department’s commitment to ensure the safety and security of all residents and visitors in this city,” said Chief Lawrence Revell of the Tallahassee Police Department. “Let this serve as a clear message: Tallahassee is not a haven for criminals looking to evade justice. If you commit a crime here, regardless of where you come from, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

TPD and the FBI cooperated in their initial investigation of the robbery and were able to identify Mathews and Fields. The FBI’s continued investigation showed that Mathews and Fields were both also present in Detroit, Michigan, when another ATM technician was robbed at a Chase Bank ATM on August 18, 2023.

The FBI worked with officers from the Houston Police Department to locate Mathews and Fields in Houston and both were arrested on federal warrants for the Tallahassee robbery.

Mathews’ and Fields’ imprisonment will be followed by 3-years of supervised release, and each was ordered to pay $88,710.00 in restitution to Wells Fargo and to also forfeit $88,710.00 to the government.

This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Tallahassee Police Department and the Houston Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain and Harley Ferguson prosecuted the case.