MINNEAPOLIS—Last week in federal court, a 36-year-old St. Cloud man was indicted for robbing the TCF Bank located at 1001 Fourth Street in St. Cloud. Fehd El Mehdi Kourima was specifically charged with one count of bank robbery.
The indictment alleges that on May 5, 2013, Kourima stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the bank. According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, a man, later identified as Kourima, entered the bank at approximately 12:30 p.m. He gave a teller a note that stated, “Put as many $100 bills as you can into this envelope in 15 seconds and no one gets hurt.” After receiving the money, Kourima left the bank and ran to a vehicle parked outside. Kourima was arrested later that day.
If convicted, Kourima faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Any sentence would be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the St. Cloud Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katharine T. Buzicky and Nathan P. Petterson.
An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.