Clay pleaded guilty to attempted bank robbery. Upon his release from prison, he will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Source: Department of Justice
ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for attempting to rob a local bank while armed with a hatchet.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on February 26, 2026, Zachary Michael Clay, 42, entered First New Mexico Bank in Deming, New Mexico, with a hatchet around his waist and handed a teller a handwritten note demanding large bills. The teller told Clay to wait and walked away under the pretense of retrieving money while another employee called 911.
While waiting, Clay approached a second teller and handed over the same note. When the teller told him that he was already being assisted, Clay displayed the hatchet that was on his waist. Clay then entered the office of the bank’s assistant vice president and asked whether there was money in the office—and again brandished the hatchet.
Shortly afterwards, Clay heard the approaching sirens and left the bank without obtaining any money. Luna County Sheriff’s Office deputies immediately arrested him as he exited the bank.
Clay pleaded guilty to attempted bank robbery. Upon his release from prison, he will be subject to three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Luna County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Grant B. Gardner prosecuted the case.
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