A Charlotte man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in the armed robbery of a Wells Fargo bank, according to an announcement from Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Michael Malik Pringle, Jr., 32, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. Pringle pleaded guilty on June 4, 2025, to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and aiding and abetting.
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 joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
Court documents state that on May 2, 2024, Pringle picked up a 16-year-old minor using a rented vehicle after they had discussed robbing a bank together. After failing to rob one bank, they proceeded to a Wells Fargo branch at 9420 Pineville-Matthews Road. Pringle gave the minor a firearm and a black bag and instructed him to demand $20,000 from bank employees.
According to records, the minor entered the bank wearing a hoodie and face mask while Pringle waited outside in the car. The minor approached an employee under the pretense of making a withdrawal before displaying the gun and demanding money: “put $20,000 in this bag right now.” A teller filled the bag with about $18,333 before the minor fled back to Pringle’s waiting vehicle.
Law enforcement later located their vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Both Pringle and the minor were arrested at that time. Officers found a loaded Glock 43 handgun with an extended magazine inside the driver’s door pocket as well as cash from the robbery scattered throughout the back passenger area.
Pringle remains in federal custody pending transfer to a designated Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude for investigative efforts by “the FBI, CMPD, and the Pineville Police Department.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington prosecuted this case.
