A Tennessee man who committed a series of armed bank robberies in Arkansas and Mississippi over a three-month period has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison after admitting to the crimes.
According to federal prosecutors, 37-year-old Freddy Najil of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 211 months in prison after pleading guilty to bank robbery and being a felon in possession of firearms. Jonathan D. Ross pronounced the punishment, and Kristine G. Baker imposed it.
In addition to the prison sentence, Najil was ordered to undergo three years of supervised release after finishing his sentence. Federal authorities stated that there is no parole in the federal prison system.
Robberies stretched across two states
The case involves three different armed robberies that occurred between February and May 2024.
The first robbery happened on February 9, 2024, when officers from the Horn Lake Police Department reacted to a robbery at a Renasant Bank branch in Mississippi. According to investigators, witnesses and security video showed Najil pointing a handgun at four employees and demanding money. He escaped with about $2,724.
Just over two months later, on April 18, 2024, officers in Southaven, Mississippi, responded to another armed bank heist, this one at Securtrust Bank. Najil allegedly pointed a weapon at a bank teller and ordered her “not to do anything stupid” before stealing $12,251 and fled the scene.
The third and largest robbery took place on May 3, 2024, at an Evolve Bank branch in West Memphis, Arkansas. Prosecutors claimed Najil entered the bank armed with a gun, threatened staff, demanded cash, and fled with $22,251.
Najil was apparently unaware that part of the money included covert GPS tracking devices. These devices enabled detectives to easily track his movements after he escaped.
GPS devices help police track suspect
After leaving the West Memphis bank, Najil drove away in a black Infiniti Gs3. West Memphis police officers and Arkansas State Police troopers quickly began pursuing the vehicle as it entered Memphis.
The chase ended when the vehicle crashed. Authorities said Najil then abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
Money allegedly flew from his arms as he attempted to flee. Officers soon moved in and arrested him nearby.
Investigators found loose cash and a .40-caliber weapon near where Najil was apprehended. Authorities also recovered about $22,134 in stolen money from the incident.
Following his detention, Najil surrendered his rights and agreed to post-Miranda interviews with authorities. During those interviews, he admitted to committing all three robberies in Horn Lake, Southaven, and West Memphis.
He also admitted to stealing the truck used in the West Memphis robbery before doing the crime.
Extensive criminal history led to enhanced punishment
According to federal prosecutors, Najil’s criminal background had a significant impact on the sentence he received.
Court records revealed that he qualified as an armed career criminal due to numerous past convictions for violent crimes and major drug charges.
His criminal record included eight convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon and six for second-degree kidnapping. He has prior convictions for cocaine and marijuana possession with intent to sell or deliver, as well as another cocaine possession conviction.
Because of that lengthy record, federal sentencing laws permitted harsher punishments.
The criminal case required the collaboration of multiple law enforcement agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Little Rock and Jackson field offices conducted the investigation, with cooperation from the Horn Lake Police Department, Southaven Police Department, Memphis Police Department, Arkansas State Police, and the West Memphis Police Department.
The case was handled by federal prosecutors from Arkansas and Mississippi after charges were filed in separate federal districts. In June 2024, Najil was initially charged in Arkansas with bank robbery and firearms charges. In March 2025, a separate federal indictment was issued in Mississippi, charging him with additional robbery and firearm crimes related to the previous bank robberies.
On May 9, 2025, Najil consented to relocate the Mississippi case to Arkansas for plea and sentence proceedings. He formally pleaded guilty on November 3, 2025.
The sentence concludes a case that began with three armed robberies in two states and culminated in a cross-state investigation that employed witness statements, security footage, GPS tracking technology, and Najil’s own admissions to win a conviction.
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