Federal authorities have accused a Las Vegas man of robbing two banks in Grand Junction over three months.

Douglas Edward James, 25, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Denver on two counts of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment alleges James was responsible for the Oct. 21 robbery at First National Bank of the Rockies, 2775 Acrin Ave., as well as the July 17 robbery of Wells Fargo Bank, 2251 Broadway.

James remains in federal custody.

He was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of robbing a bank there Aug. 19. Court records suggest he was wearing the same clothing as in the Wells Fargo robbery in Grand Junction on July 17.

In a search of a car linked to James after the Las Vegas robbery, federal agents found a Jake Plummer Denver Broncos jersey and a blue baseball cap with the letter F in white on the front, a reddish-brown wig, a white long-sleeve T-shirt and a black, semi-automatic pellet gun.

Staff at the Redlands Wells Fargo said on July 17 they were held up by a man wearing a Plummer jersey and a similar hat and shirt, while waiving a black semi-automatic handgun, an affidavit said.

“Don’t look at me,” he told employees. “I’m going to shoot this mother.”

The day after the Wells Fargo robbery, James and a girlfriend purchased a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix from a Grand Junction dealership, driving away with the car after making a $3,000 cash deposit with $20 and $100 bills, the affidavit said.

The mother of James’ girlfriend told investigators James moved with her daughter to Las Vegas on July 21.

Email PAUL SHOCKLEY