Arrest of Eleanor Venable for Bank Robbery

Janice K. Fedarcyk, Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the FBI, announced today that Eleanor Venable was charged with one county of Bank Robbery via a Criminal Complaint filed in the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, Camden, New Jersey.

It is alleged that Venable entered the Cornerstone Bank branch located at 1405 Route 70 East in Cherry Hill, NJ, on January 13, 2009, three times between approximately 12:27 p.m. and 12:57 p.m., wearing a black robe, black veil, black head covering and black gloves. On the first visit she talked with a bank employee about opening an account, on the second visit she talked with a different bank employee again about opening an account, and on the third visit she approached a bank employee and produced a threatening note announcing a robbery and demanding cash. Venable then allegedly produced a handgun, and was given cash from several teller stations. Venable then forced a bank employee outside into the parking lot, and then fled the bank parking lot alone on foot. There were no customers inside the branch at the time of the robbery, and no one was injured during the robbery.

The Cherry Hill Police Department initiated an immediate search of the areas surrounding the bank branch, and within thirty minutes an officer spotted someone matching the description of the robbery suspect on the porch of a house approximately three blocks from the bank with a black plastic bag. The suspect was identified as Venable, and a plastic bag containing the money taken from the bank, a loaded .22 caliber handgun, a robbery demand note matching the one presented in the robbery, two cell phones, and clothing matching the description of that worn during the robbery were recovered.

The investigation revealed that one of the cell phones had been used to place a call to the Camden County 911 Communications Center at 12:08 p.m. on that same day.  During that 911 call, the female caller advised that bombs would explode at three different TD Bank branch locations in Cherry Hill. It is believed that this call was placed in order to divert law enforcement to those other locations during the robbery of the Cornerstone Bank branch.

Venable was taken into custody by the Cherry Hill Police Department, and has been turned over to the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service following her initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider earlier today. Venable was ordered to be detained by the Court.

The FBI would like to thank the Cherry Hill Police Department for the excellent work of its Officers in responding to and handling this dangerous situation, and for apprehending Venable so quickly and safely. Their actions have enabled these Federal charges to be filed today, and have helped make the community a safer place by taking a dangerous criminal off of the streets.