Montana Casino Robbers Sentenced to Several Years in Federal Prison
Two MT women who pleaded hangdog to a Mar armed robbery at a Billings gambling casino were both sentenced shoemaker's last hebdomad inward federal court.
The pair off stole alcohol at the casino, fired a warning gibe before fleeing, and then led police force on a high-velocity chase before crashing their railroad car at an elemental schooling and discarding deuce firearms on school grounds.
Makyla Shayd Fetter, 28, of Harlem, Mont., was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to Montana US Attorney Jesse Laslovich. Her doom testament be followed past triad years of supervised release. She also testament make up $745 in restitution.
Taliah Jeneane Ramirez, 22, of Billings, was sentenced to septet years inwards prison, followed by trio years of supervised release. She testament then make up $745 inwards restitution.
US District Judge Susan P. Watters sentenced both defendants.
Robbery Details
The incident began on Mar 20 when the couple entered Magic Diamond Casino inward Billings Heights.
Fetter removed v bottles of Southern Comfort from a shelf. When an employee asked to consider Fetter’s identification, she pulled come out a loaded pistol, pointed it at the clerk, and said, “Here’s your (obscenity) ID,” according to courtroom documents.
As the defendants fled in a Buick, Ramirez took out a handgun and fired a jibe inwards the air.
Police began a high-speed pursuit, which officers called cancelled o'er fears the inordinate speeds might menace civilians. The defendants’ railcar later crashed after going through a fence in at Ponderosa Elementary School. Both women discarded their loaded guns on shoal grounds.
Officers found one of the firearms on the day of the robbery. The next day, a educatee found the back firearm and notified a teacher. Both firearms were stolen.
The two women pleaded hangdog inwards Aug to robbery touching commerce, possession of a small-arm inward furtherance of a criminal offence of violence, and ownership of a firearm inward a schoolhouse zone.
The duo could hold faced upward to 20 years in prison, a $250K fine, and tierce years of supervised resign on the robbery charge. On possessing a small-arm in a criminal offense of violence, apiece could feature faced a mandatory lower limit of septet years to life-time inwards prison, serial to any other sentence, a $250K fine, and pentad years of supervised release.
There also were abrasive words for the defendants’ actions.
Not only when did ane of these defendants muster out a gun during this robbery, but the defendants unconscionably used a playground to ditch the guns patch trying to evade practice of law enforcement,” Laslovich said in a statement.
Third Defendant Awaits Sentencing
Last month, a 3rd suspect in the case, Darwin John Dalton Sutherland, 29, of terra incognita address, admitted inward federal court of law to existence a prohibited person inwards ownership of a firearm.
He also admitted to giving the suspects the II firearms they used in the holdup, authorities said.
On March 16, 2023, when Watters sentences Sutherland, he could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250K fine, and ternion years of supervised release, according to Laslovich.