Ex-teller sentenced in bank robbery

HOUSTON Tuaca Elaine Deason, 25, was ordered to serve a 30 month prison term to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $228,000.

In July, 2009, Deason, using her position as bank teller at the Wachovia Bank at 5311 Wesleyan, agreed to facilitate access to the bank for co-defendant Erik Roshan Roy, 38, before business hours. After Deason reported to her regular work shift at the bank, Roy called Deason on her cell phone to verify she was inside the bank. Acting according to their plan, Deason went outside of the bank with the pretext that she needed to retrieve some keys from her car. The plan was to allow Roy to enter the bank before it was open for business.

As Deason walked back into the bank, Roy followed her and physically restrained another bank employee by holding her around the neck and pointed what appeared to be a firearm at her head. Roy then directed both Deason and the employee to the bank's vault. Once inside the vault room, Roy instructed Deason to remove money from the vault and place it into a bag which Roy produced. Roy then instructed Deason and the bank employee to crawl out of the vault room and to lie on the floor outside of the vault room.

While considering Deason's acceptance of responsibility for her criminal conduct as well other mitigating factors, the judge told Deason: "As the insider, you submitted your co-employee to the terrible experience of a bank robbery."

Roy was sentenced to 108 months in prison.