A Charlotte man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the armed robbery of a Wells Fargo bank. Michael Malik Pringle, Jr., 32, received the sentence on charges of possessing a firearm during a violent crime and aiding and abetting, according to Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Pringle will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
On June 4, 2025, Pringle pleaded guilty to the charges. The case was announced jointly by U.S. Attorney Ferguson, Reid Davis (Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina), Chief Estella D. Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, and Chief Michael Hudgins of the Pineville Police Department.
Court documents show that on May 2, 2024, Pringle picked up a 16-year-old minor in a rented vehicle after discussing plans to rob a bank together. After an unsuccessful attempt at one bank location, they drove to a Wells Fargo branch at 9420 Pineville-Matthews Road and parked nearby. Pringle handed the minor a firearm and black bag with instructions to demand $20,000 from bank employees.
According to court records: “Once inside the bank, the minor told a bank employee that he needed to make a withdrawal. Then the minor pulled out the gun and the bag and told the employee to ‘put $20,000 in this bag right now.’ One of the tellers filled the bag with approximately $18,333.” The minor then fled back to Pringle’s vehicle before they left together.
Law enforcement later located their vehicle and conducted a traffic stop leading to both being arrested. Officers found a loaded Glock 43 handgun with an extended magazine inside as well as cash from the robbery scattered throughout the car’s back passenger area.
Pringle remains in federal custody awaiting transfer to an assigned Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude for law enforcement’s efforts: “In making today’s announcement,” he said, “U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI, CMPD, and the Pineville Police Department for their investigation of the case.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington prosecuted this case on behalf of federal authorities.
