A man was recently sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for robbing a Newark NJ bank in 2013.
The 62-year-old defendant was accused of committing a bold robbery of the New York Community Bank, located on the Ironbound in Newark, New Jersey.
According to federal prosecutors, the defendant walked into the bank and approached a bank teller; he then “intimidated” the teller into giving up $2,380 in cash. The teller also reportedly handed the defendant a bank withdrawal slip. Remarkably, the defendant was not armed with a weapon when he committed the bank robbery.
After getting money from the teller, the defendant walked out of the bank and hailed a cab; he used the taxi as his getaway vehicle.
Newark police officers eventually caught the cab and placed the suspect under arrest. Prosecutors said that police found the stolen cash and the bank withdrawal slip in possession of the defendant.
During sentencing in U.S. District Court in Newark, the judge decided against the prosecutor’s recommendation that she impose a sentence of 33 months to 41 months in federal prison. Instead, the judge sentenced the defendant to 2 years in prison. The judge noted the defendant’s age as a reason for imposing a more lenient sentence.
At sentencing, the defendant apologized for his crime. He also told the judge that he plans to stop abusing drugs. The defendant went to a drug rehabilitation center for a number of months following his arrest; he reportedly continues to attend counseling sessions at the rehab center.
Although the defendant was already sentenced, he won’t have to surrender for a little while because he is currently scheduled to undergo a medical procedure. According to authorities, the defendant needs cataract surgery on his left eye during the upcoming week. Additionally, the defendant is scheduled to have his heart checked out by doctors before the end of the month.
The judge in the case set April 1 as the date on which the suspect will have to surrender and enter prison.
For more information about this case, view the NJ.com article entitled “Taxi! 62-Year-Old Thief Who Hailed Cab After Newark Bank Heist Gets 2 Years in Prison.”
