Pasadena Bank Robber Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Steven Murn, age 50, of Pasadena, Maryland, today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for armed bank robbery and attempted bank robbery.  Judge Russell also ordered Murn to pay restitution of $1,210.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.

According to information presented to the court at his plea and sentencing hearings, on August 19, 2016, Murn attempted to rob a bank in the 3200 block of Pasadena, Maryland.  Murn entered the bank wearing a wig and a baseball cap and carrying a bag.  He went to the check-writing station in the lobby, then to a teller station.  The teller asked Murn to remove his hat and he complied.  Murn then placed his bag on the teller counter and said “C’mon!”  The teller said, “No.”  Murn grabbed the bag, left the bank, and ran away.

On August 29, 2016, Murn robbed a bank in the 8100 block of Jumpers Hole Road in Pasadena.  Murn entered the bank wearing an orange safety vest over a tee shirt and a hard hat with a towel draped beneath it, and carrying a bag.  After writing a note on a deposit slip that read, “Bomb all money now please,” Murn gave the teller the note, placed a fake bomb on the counter in front of a teller station, and demanded money.  The teller opened the cash drawer and Murn reached over the counter and removed bundles of cash.  Murn then left the bank and drove away in his car, which was parked nearby.  He was arrested the next day in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the Court, Murn assaulted a Pennsylvania State Trooper at the time of his arrest in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and threatened to kill the officers.  Murn was later taken to the hospital, complaining of chest pain, where on September 3, 2016, he attempted to disarm an officer by grabbing his pistol and holster from the officer’s duty belt.  The officer struggled with Murn to recover the weapon.  On that same date, while being transported to the Franklin County Jail, Murn kicked out a window of the van, shattering the glass, and attempted to wriggle out of the van through the window.  Murn was placed back in the van and transported to jail.

Judge Russell ordered that Murn’s federal sentence run concurrent to the remaining sentence Murn is serving in Pennsylvania for attempted escape, disarming an officer, and making threats to the police.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Pennsylvania State Police for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who prosecuted the case.