OKLAHOMA MAN SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS AND SIX MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ARMED BANK ROBBERY IN ARKANSAS

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS — A 32-year-old Oklahoma City man has been sentenced to 17 years and six months in federal prison for carrying out an armed bank robbery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, during which he threatened employees with a firearm, forced them into a bank vault, and fled with stolen currency. Aljon Smith received a sentence of 210 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on November 12, 2026, following his federal prosecution for bank robbery and using a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence. Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks imposed the sentence during a hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to federal court documents, the robbery occurred on January 20, 2026, when Smith entered the First National Bank in Fort Smith while armed with a firearm. Once inside, Smith brandished the weapon and began issuing orders to bank employees. He directed one teller to get on the ground and instructed another to lock the bank’s entrance, restricting access to the building while he carried out the robbery.

Smith then forced the employees into the bank vault and ordered them to fill a trash bag with United States currency. The employees complied with his demands while under the threat of the firearm. After obtaining the money, Smith fled the bank, leaving employees to report the robbery and law enforcement authorities to begin identifying and locating the armed suspect.

Investigators from the Fort Smith Police Department, FBI, United States Marshals Service, and Oklahoma City Police Department coordinated efforts to locate Smith after the robbery. Investigators located Smith in Oklahoma City two days after the robbery. On January 22, 2026, deputies with the United States Marshals Service, working alongside detectives from the Fort Smith and Oklahoma City police departments, arrested Smith.

Following his arrest, investigators recovered the firearm used during the robbery and a portion of the stolen currency. The recovery provided physical evidence connected to the offense and supported the federal investigation. The Justice Department did not disclose the total amount stolen from the bank, the amount recovered, or additional information concerning the circumstances surrounding the recovery of the firearm and money.

Smith’s conviction involved two federal offenses: bank robbery and using a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence. Federal law establishes criminal penalties for robberies involving federally protected financial institutions, while separate statutory provisions address the use of firearms during qualifying violent offenses. These charges can carry substantial prison terms, reflecting the additional danger created when a firearm is used to threaten individuals during the commission of a crime.

U.S. Attorney Kevin R. Holmes for the Western District of Arkansas announced the sentencing on November 13, 2026. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.

The prosecution falls within the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a nationwide effort bringing together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and public safety partners to address violent crime. The program operates through U.S. Attorney’s Offices in all 94 federal judicial districts and emphasizes coordinated investigations, strategic enforcement partnerships, and prosecution of serious criminal offenses affecting communities.

Project Safe Neighborhoods also serves as a component of Operation Take Back America, which coordinates federal enforcement priorities involving violent crime and other threats to public safety. The initiative supports cooperation between agencies responsible for investigating offenses involving firearms, armed criminal activity, and individuals who present serious risks to public safety. Cases involving armed robberies fall within these enforcement priorities because they expose victims and responding law enforcement personnel to potentially deadly confrontations.

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