Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Kansas

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Indictment: Wichita Man Committed Four Bank Robberies And Robbery at Jewelry Store

WICHITA, KAN. - A federal grand jury indicted a Wichita man Wednesday on charges of committing four bank robberies and a robbery at a jewelry store, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Terence L. Thomas, 24, Wichita, Kan., is charged with four counts of bank robbery, one count of robbing a commercial business, one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

The indictment alleges Thomas:

• Robbed the Fidelity Bank at 3525 E. Harry in Wichita on Nov. 3, 2015.
• Robbed the Fidelity Bank at 3101 S. Seneca on Nov. 3, 2015.
• Robbed the Fidelity Bank at 3525 E. Harry on Nov. 21, 2015.
• Robbed the Intrust Bank at 3433 E. Central on Nov. 3.
• Robbed Kim Chi Jewelry at 3038 N. Broadway on Dec. 1, 2015.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each bank robbery count and the commercial robbery count; a penalty of not less than seven years (consecutive) and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine to $250,000 on other firearm charge. The Wichita Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

Paul Jeffrey Gladney, 26, Topeka, Kan., is charged with one count of carjacking. The crime is alleged to have occurred Jan. 31, 2016, in Topeka. The indictment alleges he threatened the driver of a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer and stole the vehicle.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Topeka Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.

Sarah J. Hopkins, 28, Newton, Kan. was charged with one count of knowingly transferring a firearm to a convicted felon. The crime is alleged to have occurred on July 30, 2015 in Harvey County, Kan.

Hopkins initially was charged in a criminal complaint filed Feb. 26 alleging she gave firearms to Cedric Ford, who she knew was prohibited from possessing firearms because he was a convicted felon. Ford had the guns when he was shot and killed by police last month after they were called to a shooting incident at Excel Industries in Hesston, Kan.

If convicted, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Hesston Police Department, the Harvey County Sheriff’s Department, the Newton Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind are prosecuting.

Andre S. Morgan, 52, Plano, Texas, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of a controlled substance, one count of unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, and one count of possession of marijuana. The crimes are alleged to have occurred April 4, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the first two counts and a maximum penalty of 1 year and a fine of not less than $1,000 on the marijuana count. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

Samir F. Elias, 60, Wichita, Kan., owner of GiGi’s Elite Massage in Wichita, is charged with one count of transporting an alien who is in the United States unlawfully, one count of harboring an alien who is in the United States unlawfully, one count of harboring an alien for the purpose for prostitution and two counts of money laundering.

Elias initially was charged in a criminal complaint filed Feb. 12. The indictment adds a count seeking the forfeiture of $15,115 seized from an account at Bank of America, $17,125 seized from an account at Credit Union of America, and a building located at 357 N. Hillside in Wichita.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the first three counts, and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the money laundering counts. The Wichita Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kansas Department of Labor investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting

Robby Alan Murphy, aka Bruce Reynolds, 35, Wichita, Kan., is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 9, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.

Michael J. Madden, 32, Wichita, Kan., is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Aug. 28 and Sept. 9, 2015, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.

Jason A. Farner, 32, Towanda, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 11, 2016.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

Timothy M. Pope, 39, Derby, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 9, 2016, in Wichita, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the first two counts and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the remaining count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.       

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.