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Press Release

Newton, N.C. Man Pleads Guilty To Three Bank Robberies

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Newton, N.C. man appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer today and pleaded guilty to robbing three BB&T Bank branches in 2014, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. 

U.S. Attorney Rose is joined in making today’s announcement by John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina and Chief Tracy Ledford of the Maiden Police Department.

A federal criminal indictment was filed on September 16, 2015, charging Joshua Paul Wilson, 33, with three counts of bank robbery, stemming from the bank robberies he carried out between April and June 2014.Court records show that on April 2, 2014, Wilson robbed a BB&T branch located in Maiden, N.C.Then on May 20, 2014, Wilson robbed a second BB&T branch, located in Claremont, N.C.Wilson robbed the third BB&T branch in Valdese, N.C. on June 14, 2014.According to court records and today’s plea hearing, Wilson entered each of the three bank branches wearing a hat and dark sunglasses and obtained money by intimidating the bank tellers. Wilson took $1,579 from the Maiden branch, $3,990 from the Claremont branch, and $8,927 from the Valdese branch.

Wilson is currently in federal custody.The statutory maximum sentence for each bank robbery charge is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.A sentencing hearing for the defendant has not been scheduled yet.

The investigation was handled by the FBI and Maiden Police Department.In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Rose thanked the Claremont and Valdese Police Departments and the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with the investigation.

The prosecution is being handled for the government by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Randall of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.             

Updated January 5, 2016