A Charlotte jury found 60-year-old Kendall Charles Alexander, Sr. guilty of armed bank robbery and related charges yesterday. This verdict, stemming from a 2021 Bank of America heist, could send Alexander back to prison for life, detailed U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina.
Investigators said that Alexander, alongside Derrius Fleming, orchestrated the brazen daytime robbery in Charlotte's Southend district. Court documents reveal Alexander brandished a loaded semi-automatic rifle upon entry, threatening the lives of those inside if they did not adhere to their directives. Fleming, already sentenced to ten years, manned the intimidation front, corralling an unarmed security guard back into the bank at gunpoint.
The duo managed a dramatic escape, involving a GPS-tracked burnt getaway car and a high-stakes on-foot chase across the I-77. "All of the stolen money was recovered from a bag dropped by Alexander," said the U.S. Attorney's Office in their report on the jury's decision. Alexander was apprehended and is now awaiting a sentencing date in federal custody.
Alexander's past crimes, including a previous bank robbery and the attempted murder of a federal officer, loom over the present case. These are factors that contribute to his potential life sentence. "Because of his violent criminal history, Alexander faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison," the U.S. Attorney's office stated, spotlighting the heavy weight of past actions on one's future.
The FBI and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department received nods of gratitude from U.S. Attorney King for their work on the case. The successful prosecution is a notch in the belt of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative focused on reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities.
