Bethlehem Man Sentenced to 70 Months’ Imprisonment for Committing Six Bank Robberies
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 30, 2013 |
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Senior United States District Court Judge James M. Munley today sentenced Fawzi Atra, age 43, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to 70 months’ imprisonment for the robbery of six financial institutions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Atra had previously pleaded guilty to all six counts that were contained in a criminal information charging the following robberies:
- KNBT Bank, located at 2170 Union Boulevard, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on April 3, 2012;
- PNC Bank, located at 307 West Route 70, Marlton, New Jersey, on April 4, 2012;
- PNC Bank, located at 942 West Street Road, Warminster, Pennsylvania, on April 11, 2012;
- PNC Bank, located at 800 Denow Road, Unit F, Pennington, New Jersey, on April 14, 2012;
- QNB Bank, located at 901 South West End Boulevard, Quakertown, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 2012; and
- Essa Bank & Trust, located at 601 Route 940, Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on April 19, 2012.
A police officer with the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department arrested Atra shortly after the Essa Bank & Trust robbery on April 19, 2012. A search incident to the arrest revealed the presence of the money stolen from the Essa Bank and a pellet gun. Atra has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.
In additional to the 70-month term of imprisonment, Judge Munley also ordered that Atra be placed on supervised release for a period of three years following the service of his sentence. Judge Munley further specified that the supervised release term would be on a non-reporting basis in the event that Atra is deported to Jordan, his country of citizenship, following service of his sentence. In addition, Judge Munley ordered that Atra make restitution of $9,688, representing the total amount of money netted as a result of the six robberies.
The case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department; the Richland Township, Pennsylvania Police Department; the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Police Department; the Evesham Township, New Jersey Police Department; the Hopewell, New Jersey Police Department; and the Warminster, Pennsylvania Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Gurganus.