Charlotte Man Who Drove Minor To Commit Bank Robbery Sentenced To Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A Charlotte man was sentenced to seven years in prison today for the armed robbery of a Wells Fargo bank, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Michael Malik Pringle, Jr., 32, of Charlotte, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term. On June 4, 2025, Pringle pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and aiding and abetting.

Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, Chief Estella D. Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, and Chief Michael Hudgins of the Pineville Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.

According to court documents and today's court hearing, on May 2, 2024, Pringle picked up a 16-year-old minor in a rented vehicle. Pringle and the minor had previously discussed robbing a bank and had agreed to rob a bank on that date. After unsuccessfully trying to rob one bank, Pringle and the minor travelled to a Wells Fargo bank located at 9420 Pineville-Matthews Road and parked in a parking lot near the bank. Pringle gave the minor a firearm and a black bag and told the minor to demand $20,000 from the bank employees. Court records show the minor entered the bank wearing a hoodie and a face mask while Pringle waited in the car. Once inside the bank, the minor told a bank employee that he needed to make a withdrawal. Then the minor pulled out the gun and the bag and told the employee to "put $20,000 in this bag right now." One of the tellers filled the bag with approximately $18,333. The minor fled the bank and ran to the getaway vehicle where Pringle was waiting, and the pair drove off.

Following the robbery, law enforcement located Pringle's vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Pringle and the minor were placed under arrest. Officers located a loaded Glock 43 handgun with an extended magazine in a pocket on the driver's door. Officers also recovered cash from the robbery that had been scattered throughout the back passenger area of the vehicle.

Pringle is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI, CMPD, and the Pineville Police Department for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.