is a disbarred Louisiana attorney who, after developing problems with drugs and alcohol, began spending time with William Turner ("Turner"), a drug dealer whom Stephens had known since 1996. According to Turner, he and two of his cohorts, Cleveland Golden ("Golden") and Timothy Talbert ("Talbert"), had committed several armed bank robberies in the Baton Rouge area, and when, in June 1998, Stephens indicated that he knew how to clean money marred by exploding dye packs, the men allowed him to join in their next robbery. Thereafter, the group planned several additional robberies, which were carried out by various members of the group.1 Law enforcement officers investigating the string of bank robberies eventually identified Turner as a potential suspect and began surveilling him. On December 21, 1998, after observingTurner and three other men engage in what appeared to be casing activities near a Bank One, officers secured the bank in anticipation of a robbery. Turner, Talbert, and Golden approached the bank in a stolen Oldsmobile but sped away when they spotted an unmarked surveillance vehicle. Officers then arrested Stephens, who was sitting in a Cadillac parked behind the bank. Stephens admitted that he was waiting for Turner but denied having any knowledge of a plan to rob the bank that day.


3
On October 16, 2000, the Government filed a criminal complaint against Stephens, charging him with participating in the July 1, 1998 robbery, the August 14, 1998 robbery, the October 16, 1998 robbery, and a November 13, 1998 robbery of a Deposit Guaranty Bank. The complaint also