Gary Woman Sentenced to 300 Months in Prison

HAMMOND- Briana White, age 29, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to armed bank robbery and murder resulting from the discharge of a firearm during the bank robbery, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

White was sentenced to 300 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, White's convictions stem from a June 11, 2021, bank robbery in Gary, Indiana. White, along with, Hailey Gist-Holden, and two other co-defendants formulated a plan to rob the bank. White was involved in the planning stages and her role included facilitating a three-way call between herself, Gist-Holden and the getaway driver during the robbery and getaway. She also listened to a police scanner during the robbery to advise her co-defendants about police response. On his way to entering the bank, Gist-Holden, at point blank range, shot and killed the bank's security guard who was outside the bank at the time. Approximately $9,000 was taken during the armed bank robbery.

Previously, co-defendant Gist-Holden was found guilty by a jury of armed bank robbery and murder resulting from the discharge of a firearm during the robbery. For his role in the offense, Gist-Holden was sentenced to imprisonment for two life sentences. White is the last of the defendants to be sentenced for this crime.

This investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Gang Response Investigative Team with the assistance of the Lake County Sheriff's Department; the Lake County Prosecutor's Office; the Indiana State Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Gary Police Department. Additional investigative assistance was provided by the FBI Chicago, FBI Miami, and FBI Atlanta along with the Georgia State Police, the Atlanta Police Department, and the Lowndes County (GA) Sheriff's Department. In addition, the U.S. Attorney's Offices in the Northern District of Georgia, Middle District of Georgia, and Middle District of Florida were involved in this cooperative effort. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Caitlin M. Padula and Michael J. Toth.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.