Texas Man Sentenced to Prison for Attempting to Rob an ATM in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Jawuan Donte Thomas, 23, of Texas was sentenced today to 57 months' imprisonment and three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $205,080.00 in restitution after attempting to rob an automated teller machine (ATM) in the District of Utah in 2024 and successfully robbing an ATM in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

The sentence, imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell comes after Thomas pleaded guilty to attempted bank robbery on June 26, 2025 and bank robbery on May 12, 2026.

According to court documents and statements made at Thomas's change of plea and sentencing hearings, on December 17, 2024, Thomas attempted to rob a bank ATM in Riverton, Utah. Thomas admitted that prior to the attempted robbery, he and two co-conspirators jammed the ATM, knowing it would cause the machine to malfunction and require the bank to call a technician to repair it. Thomas admitted to waiting in a car near the ATM and watching for the technician to arrive. Upon the technician's arrival, Thomas and his co-conspirators drove up quickly to the ATM and Thomas jumped out of the vehicle and demanded the money. Because Thomas and his co-conspirators had jammed another ATM in Draper, Utah earlier in the day, FBI agents were staged near the Riverton location in anticipation of a potential robbery. As Thomas approached the ATM technician, FBI agents closed in to thwart the robbery. Thomas attempted to flee on foot but was captured immediately. His co-conspirators fled in the vehicle. Law enforcement seized a screwdriver from Thomas's possession at the time of his arrest. See prior press release: Texas Man Accused of Attempting to Rob an ATM Technician is Facing Federal Charges in Utah

While this case was pending, the District of Utah learned that Thomas and two others had been charged in the Southern District of Ohio with bank robbery. Thomas agreed that the Ohio case should be transferred to Utah for disposition. On May 12, 2026, Thomas entered a guilty plea to bank robbery, admitting that he and his co-conspirators successfully robbed an ATM in the Cincinnati, Ohio area utilizing the same strategy they had employed in Utah. Thomas and his co-conspirators stole over $205,000.00 in that robbery. The money has not been recovered.

"Thomas's scheme to jam the ATM and confront the repairperson placed the ATM technician at great risk. I am grateful for the quick thinking, decisive actions, and strong coordination of our law enforcement partners, whose efforts prevented this robbery from escalating," said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. "My office remains committed to working alongside our local, state, federal, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime in Utah. Our office extends special thanks to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio for agreeing to transfer Thomas' second bank robbery case to Utah for disposition."

"This attempted ATM robbery put an innocent technician's life at risk, showing Mr. Thomas' total disregard for human safety," said Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls. "The FBI and our partners will pursue those who endanger public safety and seek to profit through violent crime."

The case is being investigated by an FBI Task Force Officer from the South Jordan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Riverton City Police Department and the Springfield Township Police Department in Ohio.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.