Ho-Hum Bandit Pleads Guilty to Seven Bank Robberies

United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced that Adam Lynch pled guilty this afternoon in federal court in San Diego to seven counts of bank robbery. Lynch, dubbed the “Ho Hum Bandit” for his reportedly nonchalant manner in robbing banks, committed a string of bank robberies in San Diego beginning in February 2010. Lynch entered his guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Bartick.
As described in his plea agreement, Lynch committed his first bank robbery on February 27, 2010, robbing a U.S. Bank in San Diego. He thereafter went on a spree of robberies in the area, committing his seventh on June 5, 2010. He robbed the same bank branch twice within the space of a week. Typically, Lynch would commit the robbery by walking up to the counter, passing a note to the teller, identifying himself as being armed, and demanding cash. He did not physically injure any of the bank personnel. Lynch’s robberies in San Diego were the start, but not the end, of his career. On May 6, 2013, in Denver, Lynch was convicted of four counts of bank robbery, based on robberies he committed in the Denver area in August 2010, December 2010, and March 2011; as well as a robbery he committed in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in November 2010. For those offenses, on April 19, 2013, Lynch was sentenced by a federal judge to 64 months in prison.
Lynch has been in custody since his arrest on April 21, 2011, and is set for sentencing on April 28, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez.
Defendant in Case Number: 14-CR-0182-BEN
Adam Lynch
Summary of Charges
Bank robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a)
Maximum penalties per count: 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine, term of supervised release of three years, restitution, and $100 special assessment.
Investigating Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Lee County Man for Five North Alabama Robberies

BIRMINGHAM—A federal grand jury today indicted a Lee County man for a string of bank robberies in North Alabama in January, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard D. Schwein Jr.
A five-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges immy Dawson Cunningham, 38, of Salem, Alabama, with five bank robberies between January 3 and January 14. He is charged with the following robberies: National Bank of Commerce, Shades Creek Parkway, Birmingham, January 3; PNC Bank, Euclid Avenue, Mountain Brook, January 8; First Community Bank, Marktplatz Center, Cullman, January 10; Regions Bank, Culver Road, Mountain Brook, January 10; and Union State Bank, Pelham Parkway, Pelham, January 14.
Cunningham could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
The FBI, in conjunction with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Brook, Cullman, and Pelham Police Departments, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Montminy is prosecuting the case.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. It will be the government’s responsibility to prove the defendant’s guilt at trial.

Mother, Daughter Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Robberies

LAKE CHARLES, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that Evie Bowin Herrin, 58, of Kirbyville, Texas, and her daughter, Amelia Darci Crew, 31, of Cleveland, Texas, were sentenced on October 3, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi for conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Herrin received 86 months in prison, and Crew received 51 months in prison. They both received three years of supervised release. Herrin was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $17,730 restitution. They pleaded guilty June 27, 2013.
According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, the defendants admitted to stealing $17,730 from banks in Louisiana and Texas. Herrin admitted to entering three banks wearing a disguise. After entering the banks, Herrin would point what looked like a handgun at a teller and present the teller with a note saying to hand over strapped bundles of 100- and 20-dollar bills or she would shoot the bank employees. Herrin left each bank in a car driven by Crew. The robberies occurred on February 13, 2012, at an Iberia Bank in Kinder, Louisiana, February 28, 2012, at a Citizens National Bank in Henderson, Texas, and March 15, 2012, at a MidSouth Bank in Sulphur, Louisiana.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kinder, Sulphur, and Henderson, Texas Police Departments investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel prosecuted the case.

Modesto Man Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison for Armed Bank Robberies

FRESNO, CA—United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Anthony Edward Fuerst, 51, of Modesto, to 17 years and three months in prison for four counts of armed bank robbery and one counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Judge O’Neill also ordered Fuerst to pay $59,461 in restitution.
According to court documents, Fuerst was arrested after he robbed two Modesto banks while brandishing a sawed-off shotgun in less than two hours. Further investigation revealed that he was responsible for five other armed bank robberies in the Modesto area. Fuerst pleaded guilty to the following robberies, which were used to determine his sentence:

• Citibank, 1340 Oakdale Road, on June 12, 2012
• Chase Bank, 2609 McHenry Avenue, on September 17, 2012
• Farmers and Merchants Bank, 3001 McHenry Avenue, on January 18, 2013
• BBVA Compass Bank, 2601 Oakdale Road, on January 18, 2013.

According to court documents, Fuerst was also responsible for robberies at Citibank on March 9, 2012 and August 27, 2012, and at the Farmers and Merchants Bank on August 13, 2012. The charges for those robberies were dismissed today at the sentencing hearing.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Modesto Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Melanie L. Alsworth prosecuted the case.