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BEAUMONT, Texas – A Kemah man has been sentenced to federal prison for violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jimmy James Mamoth, Jr., 59, pleaded guilty on July 13, 2020, to attempted bank robbery and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.

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.

“The brave actions of this witness not only stopped the bank robbery, but also put an end to the Defendant’s violent crime spree,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “We applaud this citizen’s courage and quick thinking and extend our sincere thanks on behalf of law enforcement.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Beaumont Resident Agency, 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 prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Rapp and Rachel Grove.