JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 39-year-old Jacksonville man was sentenced Friday to nine years and six months in federal prison for his role in an armed robbery at a Wells Fargo on Regency Square Boulevard, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
Brett Amante was arrested in February 2021 and pleaded guilty to charges on Feb. 22 of this year.
According to court documents, on the morning of Feb. 26, 2021, Amante entered the bank and passed a teller a bag and note, demanding money, and stated that if the teller gave him a dye pack, “it will not end well with you.” Investigators said the teller pressed the panic button, which Amante noticed, and he brandished two loaded pistols.
Investigators said the teller gave him just over $1,000, and Amante took off in vehicle. A GPS tracking device had been placed in the bag, and officers tracked him down to his home, court documents show, where he was arrested.
According to the DOJ, both pistols used in the robbery were located, along with a rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammo, body armor, an unregistered firearm silencer, surveillance equipment, handcuffs and zip ties. Investigators said they also found another weapon loaded with armor-piercing ammo and spare magazines in the getaway vehicle.