United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

FINAL SUSPECT IN 2003 SHELTON ARMED ROBBERY ADMITS GUILT

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut,announced that JAMES BURROUGHS, also known as “EASY,” 23, of Harral Street, Bridgeport, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today before Senior United States Senior District Judge Ellen B. Burns in New Haven to one count of armed bank robbery. In pleading guilty, BURROUGHS admitted that, on July 19, 2003, he and three other individuals robbed a branch of Fleet Bank, now Bank of America, in Shelton, Connecticut and stole approximately $19,000.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in Court, BURROUGHS, Elton Frazier, Nathaniel Smith and Gerald Foggy entered the front entrance of the bank during the morning of July 19, 2003. Smith served as a lookout at the front entrance of the bank and was armed with an SKS assault rifle. During the robbery, Smith fired at least one shot into the ceiling and told one customer to “get down.”  Foggy, who was armed with a .25 caliber handgun, stole money from a safe that was located behind the bank counter. Frazier stole money from the bank counter area.  BURROUGHS, who was also armed with a .25 caliber handgun, subdued bank customers and staff while Frazier and Foggy stole money from the counter area.  The four men then fled the scene in a stolen van. They then switched vehicles, leaving the stolen van behind at a nearby hotel parking garage and escaping in Smith’s red Acura.  Following the robbery, several articles of clothing, including a dark blue T-shirt and a latex glove, were recovered in the vicinity of the parking garage.

Law enforcement officers recovered numerous pieces of physical evidence at the scene of the crime, including a videotape of the robbery and the T-shirt and latex glove from which DNA samples were obtained. In February 2006, Shelton police officers were informed that the DNA sample recovered from one of the latex gloves matched that of Nathaniel Smith, whose DNA sample had been collected after he was convicted on an unrelated weapons charge in Connecticut Superior Court. Smith subsequently confessed to his involvement in the robbery and admitted that Frazier, Foggy and BURROUGHS had also participated.  Frazier and Foggy were then arrested, and each admitted to his role in the robbery and identified BURROUGHS as the fourth participant. Forensic analysis further revealed that the DNA sample recovered from another latex glove matched BURROUGHS’ DNA.   BURROUGHS was arrested and interviewed by the FBI, when he admitted his participation in the robbery.

Judge Burns has scheduled BURROUGHS’ sentencing for November 4, 2008, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 25 years and a fine of up to $250,000.  Judge Burns ordered that BURROUGHS be detained while pending sentencing.

Frazier has pleaded guilty, and was sentenced on June 27, 2008 to 84 months’ incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Smith and Foggy also have pleaded guilty. They await sentencing.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Shelton Police Department and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Mattei and Edward Kang.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov