Brian Keith Mays, a 58-year-old resident of Arkansas, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Mays was charged with these offenses following a two-count Superseding Indictment returned by a federal Grand Jury on January 21, 2025. A federal jury found him guilty on March 13, 2025, after a three-day trial.
The trial revealed that on July 5, 2024, Mays used a pistol to threaten tellers at the FNB Community Bank in Harrah, Oklahoma, demanding money. He left the bank with $12,123.00. FBI agents reviewed surveillance footage from the bank and an adjacent store to track Mays’ escape. An eyewitness provided the tag number of his getaway vehicle, leading authorities to Mays.
At the sentencing hearing on June 30, 2025, U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones imposed the sentence of ten years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Jones highlighted the dangerous nature of the robbery and its impact on victims when announcing the sentence.
The case resulted from investigations conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI Oklahoma City and Fort Smith Field Offices, Harrah Police Department, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, and Oklahoma City Police Department. The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Gridley and Drew E. Davis along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Laney Ellis (SAUSA), who is funded through a federal Project Safe Neighborhoods grant awarded to enhance efforts against violent crime.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
For further details about this case, reference can be made to public filings.
