Ohio robber gets nearly 148 years in prison

COLUMBUS (AP) -- A man convicted in six robberies over two years was sentenced Friday to 147 years and eight months in a federal prison.
Gary Watkins, 41, of Columbus, was found guilty in May of robbing three check cashing businesses, two credit unions and a bank from March 2002 to July 2004. His brother Eric has been convicted in one robbery that netted more than $600,000.
Frankie Lee Jones, 55, Gary Watkins' brother-in-law, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison and five years' supervised release as part of a plea deal with prosecutors for his part in one robbery.
Both Jones and his brother Darryl testified against the Watkins brothers.
Investigators said Gary Watkins masterminded a series of robberies in which employees of the financial businesses were kidnapped from their homes and forced to return to their business so Watkins and others could rob it.