Gazebo Gazette
Iconic Facce pled guilty Monday afternoon to two indicted counts of robbery. The indictment arose out of the March 22, 2019, robbery of BancorpSouth located on Cowan Road in Gulfport.
The case was set for trial on June 28, 2021, but Facce, through her attorney, requested to enter her guilty plea prior to trial.
After receiving the guilty plea, Circuit Judge Randi Peresich Mueller sentenced Facce to the maximum sentence of 15 years in each count to run concurrently.
On March 22, 2019, the Gulfport Police responded to the BancorpSouth located on Cowan Road to an alarm call. Bank employees told police that the suspect entered the bank lobby, and after several minutes, approached a teller window. The suspect handed the teller a handwritten note which read “you have 1 min to give the money do not be wrong or die.” No weapon was seen or shown.
The first teller complied with the suspect’s demand and then was instructed to provide the note and a bag to a second teller to do the same. The suspect was described as a black female or a black male dressed as a black female. The suspect was further described as having swollen facial features consistent with recent cosmetic surgery.
The robbery was captured on the bank’s video surveillance system and still images of the suspect were released to the media with a request for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect.
Later that morning, Gulfport Police received reports of an abandoned Cadillac near the BancorpSouth. Those reports also indicated that a person matching the description of the suspect was seen walking away from the vehicle earlier that morning.
Investigators were able to determine that the vehicle was owned by Iconic Facce, of Ashford, Alabama. Ashford Police assisted in identifying Facce as the suspect depicted in the bank surveillance video.
Based on the information gathered, photo lineups were prepared and presented to each bank teller. Both tellers immediately identified Facce as the person who robbed them.
“As the investigation continued, investigators were able to determine Facce’s cell phone service provider, and obtain phone data, including geolocation information. The geolocation data established that the phone was located in Gulfport, in the area of BancorpSouth on the morning of March 22, 2019, between the hours of 7 and 11 am. The phone is then shown traveling eastbound on I-10 and Northbound on I-65 in Alabama. The phone was last located on March 23, 2019, at the Huntsville International Airport,” said Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker who prosecuted the case.
On March 30, 2019, Facce was arrested at the Houston International Airport, as she attempted to reenter the county on a return flight from Mexico.
Facce, who was previously known as Jimmy Maurice Lewis, II, was found guilty of another robbery on January 20, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Facce was sentenced to 51 months to serve in that case. Following the release from federal prison, Lewis had a name change to Iconic Facce.
“We commend the Gulfport Police Department and their steadfast work in identifying, locating, and apprehending this defendant. Their work is evidenced by this defendant requesting to plead guilty prior to the trial date. The sentence handed down by the Court holds the defendant accountable for her actions and assists in providing closure to the victims of this crime,” said District Attorney Crosby Parker.
