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BEAUMONT, Texas – A 59-year-old Kemah, Texas man has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox on Tuesday.

Jimmy James Mamoth, Jr., pleaded guilty to attempted bank robbery before U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield on July 13, 2020.

According to information presented in court, on Sep. 27, 2019, a witness observed Mamoth approach the entrance to the Texas First Bank in Hull, Texas, wearing a dark hooded jacket, gloves, a Halloween-style mask on his face, and carrying a duffle bag.  The witness honked his vehicle’s horn to draw attention to Mamoth, who subsequently fled into the nearby woods.  Law enforcement was able to locate and arrest Mamoth, and from him recovered an Airsoft-style replica gun meant to resemble a Beretta 9mm pistol.  Mamoth was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 9, 2019.

As part of his plea agreement, Mamoth admitted his participation in a string of other robberies and attempted robberies, specifically, the robbery of the Arbor 8 movie theater in Austin, Texas, on March 17, 2019; an attempted robbery of the Benchmark Bank in West Lake Hills, Texas, on June 4, 2019; the robbery of the Broadway Bank in Wimberley, Texas, on June 19, 2019; and the robbery of the First National Bank of Hughes Springs in Kilgore, Texas, on June 28, 2019.  Mamoth further agreed to pay restitution for the above crimes.

 This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Austin Police Department, the West Lake Hills Police Department, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office and is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Rapp and Rachel Grove.