VALDOSTA — One of the three “fugitive siblings” who robbed a Valdosta bank at gunpoint in 2011 and led authorities on a nationwide manhunt has lost an appeal of her federal sentence.

Lee Grace Dougherty, 33, had been sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery and to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to documents from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

She had earlier been sentenced to 35 years on the charges, but the appeals court voided the original sentence because of procedural errors, resulting in a re-sentencing. She is serving her sentence in a federal prison in Aliceville, Ala.

Her appeal claimed the new 30-year sentence was excessive, 183 months beyond the limits set by advisory guidelines. The court, in a decision issued Dec. 1, ruled Dougherty had failed to prove her sentence was unreasonable or that “the district court committed a clear error of judgment.”

The saga of the Doughertys began Aug. 1, 2011, in Florida when Ryan Edward Dougherty received probation and an ankle monitor for a conviction of lewd and lascivious conduct involving a victim younger than 16 and sending harmful material to a minor; he was reportedly upset with the ankle monitor and being classified as a sex offender while his girlfriend was expecting their child, according to Florida media reports.

On Aug. 2, the girlfriend reported her car stolen and Ryan Dougherty and his two older siblings, Lee Grace, who worked as a stripper at a club in Cocoa Beach, and Dylan were gone. The ankle monitor had been removed. That same morning, a Zephyrhills, Fla., police officer came under fire during a high-speed chase but was unharmed.

Several hours later, the former Certus Bank branch on Valdosta’s Norman Drive was robbed by three individuals firing automatic weapons. During the bank robbery, the trio used what court records have described as an AK-47-style pistol rifle, one semi-automatic machine pistol, and one Mauser .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun. The robbers left with $5,168.

Video footage from a nearby business showed the getaway vehicle, and the chase was on as the FBI issued a national lookout for the siblings.

Law enforcement’s big break came a week later when the Doughertys were spotted buying camping equipment in Colorado, leading state authorities on a high-speed chase before being captured. Lee Grace Dougherty was wounded in the leg in a shootout with Colorado lawmen. Authorities said the three had intended to use the money from the bank robbery to head for Mexico.

Apart from the bank robbery charges, the Doughertys also received lengthy sentences in Colorado: Lee Grace for 24 years, Ryan for 18 years and Dylan for 32 years. Ryan Dougherty was sentenced to 40 years in Florida for attempted murder of a law-enforcement officer.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.