A federal grand jury in Beaumont has returned a two-count indictment charging a Louisiana resident with bank robbery and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
The indictment charges Charleston Jamal Washington, 36, of Lafayette, Louisiana, with bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
The FBI in joint efforts with local law enforcement arrested Washington on September 19, 2024 in Lafayette, Louisiana pursuant to a sealed criminal complaint alleging the same charges.
According to the indictment, on July 18, 2024, Washington is alleged to have used a firearm to rob First State Bank of Texas in Vidor of more than $7,500. The indictment also alleges that Washington assaulted and threatened the life of a clerk with the firearm during the robbery.
If convicted, Washington faces up to life in federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case is being investigated by investigated by the Vidor Police Department, Beaumont Police Department, Crowley Police Department, Lafayette Police Department, and FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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