A transgender woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbing a Mississippi bank in the United States to pay for her cosmetic surgery in Mexico.
The woman who calls herself Iconic Facce – formerly known as Jimmy Lewis -robbed banks in Alabama of $10,000 (over N4m) to pay for her gender reassignment surgery in 2008, DailyMail reports.
After being released from prison, she was arrested again in 2019 for robbing BancorpSouth in Gulfport, Mississippi on February 22, 2019 of $4,800 (over N1.9m) after telling the teller she had one minute to give her the money ‘or die’
It’s unclear how much she got but it was enough to pay for facial plastic surgery.
According to reports, she made away with $4,800 and used the money to fly to Mexico where she used it to fluff up her cheeks, perfect her pout and thin out her nose.
When she returned to the U.S. on March 30, she tried to quietly get through Houston Airport without being noticed but her swollen, puffy cheeks and bandaged nose gave her away to the officers, who were waiting at the airport to arrest her.
Authorities tracked her by tracing the cellphone she used on the day of the robbery which they then followed to the airport, to Mexico, and back again.
This week, after a two-year legal tussle, she admitted robbery and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Back in 2019, Mississippi police released surveillance footage of the transgender woman entering the bank, wearing sunglasses, a wig, a striped shirt, and trouser, before approaching the teller.
Facce – formerly known as Jimmy Lewis – then handed the female teller a note which read: ‘you have 1 minute to give the money do not be wrong are die‘.
From June 2007 to January 2008, Facce was said to have robbed banks in Alabama by passing threatening notes in Cleveland, Decatur, and Lenoir City in Tennessee.
According to police reports, Facce threatened the life of a teller, saying in a note: “No games, no jokes and get your hands up. Don’t mash any alarms. Don’t move or she’s had it.”
Facce was sentenced to 15 years behind bars and probation for the robbery.
