Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Wendell Harp (24, Orlando) to 30 months in federal prison for bank burglary and bank theft in connection with the destruction of an ATM. Harp had pleaded guilty on December 16, 2022. He is the second defendant sentenced in this case. Judge Dalton previously sentenced Carlos Tawan Reed, Jr. (23, Orlando) to four years and three months in federal prison for the same offense. A third individual, Deontrae Walden (23, Orlando), has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
According to court records, Harp, Reed, and Walden wrapped a chain around an ATM at a Chase Bank on Colonial Drive in Orlando. Using a stolen F-250 truck, the men then destroyed the casing of the ATM and stole the cash boxes inside, containing $116,650. The three men fled in a rental car driven by Reed. Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office pursued them on the ground and in the air. Reed failed to stop and led police on a high-speed chase, which ended when deputies deployed spike strips and disabled the car. All three men then attempted to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended. Inside the vehicle, police recovered all of the stolen money.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Originally published at https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/second-orlando-man-sentenced-burglarizing-atm
