A 24-year-old Houston man is heading to federal prison for four years after authorities say he helped rip ATMs out of their mounts in a string of violent "hook-and-chain" burglaries that targeted banks in Texas and Arizona. Jacobei Townsend admitted to conspiracy to commit bank theft, and a federal judge ordered him to serve 48 months behind bars for his role in a 2020 scheme that involved stealing trucks, rigging them with heavy hooks and chains, and using brute force to tear open ATM doors and haul out the cash.
Federal sentencing and guilty plea
Townsend pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank theft and was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas. Prosecutors said the case closed the book on Townsend’s acknowledged role in a multi-state burglary crew that relied on stolen trucks and heavy-duty chains to crack ATMs and get to the cash inside.
How the 'hook-and-chain' thefts worked
Investigators said the crew’s method was blunt and fast. First, they would steal a truck, then attach hooks and chains to its hitch. With everything rigged, they backed up to an ATM and used the truck’s power to yank open the machine’s door or outer housing in a matter of seconds, then grabbed the money and took off. The spree hit financial institutions in both Texas and Arizona, including banks in the Prosper area, according to FOX 26 Houston.
Homeland Security Task Force led the probe
The investigation was run under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative in the Dallas area, a joint effort that pulls together multiple federal agencies. According to prosecutors, the task force in this case included participation from the FBI, ICE-HSI, DEA, ATF, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The prosecution in the Eastern District of Texas was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Johnson, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Texas reported.
Legal note
Townsend’s conviction stems from a single federal count of conspiracy to commit bank theft, prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The official press release and local coverage did not specify any restitution order or terms of supervised release, but they did confirm the 48-month sentence and outline the hook-and-chain scheme, according to FOX 26 Houston.
