The robber of a local branch of Truist Bank – Macon resident Gabriel Bell – has been sentenced to federal prison after stealing from the location on Riverside Drive in 2023. Bell robbed the branch while under federal supervised release for another crime he committed, according to an official news release from the Middle District of Georgia’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. The sentencing took place this past Wednesday, marking a turning point in the case that has gripped Macon since last year.

The punishment doled out to 29-year-old Bell, decided by the federal courts, is 9 years in federal prison, with no chance of parol. This sentence comprises 7 years for the aforementioned robbery and an additional 2 years for breaking the rules of his prior supervised release agreement. The Truist Bank on Riverside Drive was the unsuspecting victim of this crime and the local community was shocked by the news of its robbery.

Based in Georgia’s Middle District, the case against Bell was handled by the offices of the U.S. Attorney. The conclusion of the case and Bell’s subsequent sentencing was conveyed through a news release that updated the public on the proceedings and its culmination.