Memphis Bank Robber Sentenced to Over 48 Years in Federal Prison

Memphis, TN - Mario Patterson, 45, of Memphis, has been sentenced to 579 months in federal prison for his role in a series of three bank robberies, an additional attempted bank robbery, the use of firearms during the bank robberies, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Patterson is amongst eight Memphis men who have previously pled or been convicted of these crimes. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced Patterson's sentence today.

Evidence at a contested jury trial in January 2026 proved that between April 2023 and December 2023, the defendant, Mario Patterson, joined a conspiracy to rob banks in and around Memphis. Three other co-defendants­ ─ Courtney Trenell, 34; Devin Hinds, 36; and Joshua Cribbs, 33, were found guilty by a separate federal jury in July 2025. Four other co-defendants ─ Robert Haley, 45, Travis Drain, 39, Marquarius Trenell, 35, and Monterrio Trenell, 29 ─ already pleaded guilty to bank robbery and using a firearm during the robberies.

According to evidence presented at the trials, on:

• April 27, 2023 - Patterson and Drain robbed a branch of First Horizon Bank on North Watkins in Memphis. Patterson brandished an AK-style pistol during the robbery as Drain jumped the teller counter. The pair escaped with a large amount of money to an awaiting car driven by Haley.
• August 11, 2023 - Drain and Marquarius Trenell ran into a branch of Truist Bank, jumped the counter, and robbed the bank. Hinds and Haley served as lookouts and getaway drivers.
• October 20, 2023 - The group simultaneously robbed two banks located near Germantown Parkway and Trinity Road. Patterson and Drain entered a branch of First Horizon, with Patterson brandishing a revolver as the two demanded money. Haley served as a lookout nearby and aided in the escape. Across the street, Marquarius Trenell and Cribbs robbed a branch of the Bank of Bartlett and fled in a car driven by Monterrio Trenell. During the Bank of Bartlett robbery, Courtney Trenell operated a second getaway vehicle stationed about a mile from the robbery, aiding his co-defendants in fleeing the area.
• October 25, 2023 - Patterson and Drain returned to the First Horizon on North Watkins in an attempt to rob it again. The security guard saw them approaching, with Patterson brandishing an AK-style pistol, and fired at the would-be robbers. Patterson fired back and struck the security guard and an employee.
• November 5, 2023 - Patterson was located committing a business burglary. After a pursuit by Memphis Police Department patrol officers from Airways Precinct, Patterson was arrested and officers located a revolver in his vehicle, which bears a striking resemblance to the revolver used in the October 20, 2023 First Horizon robbery.
• December 22, 2023 - Patterson and Drain went to a branch of the Independent Bank on Union Avenue, with Patterson again carrying an AK-style pistol. Patterson also wore a bulletproof vest during this robbery. Hinds and Haley waited as lookouts and getaway drivers.

In total, the group stole over $170,000 cash from five bank robberies.

This case is set before the Honorable Judge Thomas L. Parker. On November 19, 2025, Cribbs was sentenced to 144 months in prison. On December 4, 2025, Haley to 204 months in prison. On December 5, 2025, Hinds was sentenced to 194 months in prison. On March 3, 2026, Marquarius Trenell was sentenced to 46 months in prison. On April 3, 2026, Travis Drain was sentenced to 120 months in prison, plus an additional 18 months in prison for his supervised release violation.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "In less than 8 months, this violent robbery crew committed five armed bank robberies, terrorized the community, and inflicted fear and harm on multiple victims. Patterson's violent crime spree is over, for good. This 48-year sentence for a 45-year-old offender is well deserved and sends a clear message that there will always be a reckoning, a real and significant consequence, for the commission of violent crimes."

"This sentence should serve as a reminder that repeated criminal conduct carries escalating consequences and will be met by swift justice," said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. "The FBI's Safe Streets Task Force and our partners at the Memphis Police Department will continue to work together to target the serial offenders creating fear and havoc in our community."

Memphis Police Department investigators assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Safe Streets Task Force investigated and solved the case. This case is part of the Safe Streets Task Force's efforts to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding areas.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg Wagner and Tony Arvin, of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee, along with Trial Attorney Ashleigh Atasoy, of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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