ALBUQUERQUE – A U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Herbert Boyd Smith, 50, of Albuquerque, with a bank robbery charge. During today’s proceedings, Smith was ordered detained pending trial.
The FBI and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office arrested Smith on Oct. 3, 2017, based on a criminal complaint charging him with robbing a bank in Bernalillo County, N.M. The complaint alleges that Smith robbed a Bank of the West branch located at 3733 Isleta Blvd., in Albuquerque on Oct. 2, 2017. According to the complaint, Smith robbed the bank by approaching a bank teller while holding a taped box and a handwritten note stating that the box was a bomb that would detonate if the teller did not comply with Smith’s demands for money.
If convicted, Smith faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Charges in criminal complaints are mere accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Niki Tapia-Brito.