A Greenwood man has been sentenced to federal prison for robbing a bank in 2025.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi, 48-year-old Earl Blue will spend over 16 years in prison after he robbed a local bank at gunpoint – a crime he had previously pleaded guilty to.
Blue is said to have entered a Regions Bank on May 15, 2025, under the guise of opening an account. After a short while, Blue brandished a handgun and pointed it at the bank teller, demanding money, court records reveal.
After the teller complied with his demands, Blue fled the bank. Greenwood police, alongside the FBI, quickly identified Blue as the suspect. He was apprehended the next day by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in St. Louis, Mo. A significant amount of money was recovered on Blue’s person, though officials did not specify the amount.
“Success is not measured by one’s wealth, but by one’s worth. Honorable people are honest, dedicated hard workers; dishonorable people take what does not belong to them,” U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary stated. “We’ve been dealing with bank robbers for a while now, and it takes honorable people to bring them to justice, which is what happened in this case. I commend the Greenwood Police Department and the FBI for their investigation of this case.”
In addition to the more than 16 years Blue will serve, he was also ordered to spend five years of post-release supervision and pay restitution of $5,300 to the Regions Bank in Greenwood.
“Armed robbery is a bold, brazen act that Blue believed he could commit with impunity, but today’s sentencing sends a clear message: Bank robbery is not an easy payday—it’s a serious federal crime and perpetrators will be held accountable,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff said.
“The FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in our commitment to identify, apprehend, and bring to justice offenders like Blue. Our resolve to protect public safety is unwavering.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Herzog Jr. prosecuted the case.