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Press Release

Serial Bank Robber Pleads Guilty to Federal Bank Robbery Charge—Admits Committing Five Bank Robberies and Two Attempted Bank Robberies in Less Than a Month

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland
Expected to Be Sentenced to Almost 12 Years in Federal Prison

Baltimore, Maryland – Edward Omar Johnson, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to committing five bank robberies and two attempted bank robberies in Baltimore and York, Pennsylvania, between February 27, 2019 and March 19, 2019. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Muldrow of the York City (Pennsylvania) Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, between from February 27, 2019 and March 19, 2019, Johnson robbed five banks and attempted to rob two others.  During each robbery, Johnson presented the victim teller with a demand note stating that he had a firearm.  Four of the robberies and the two attempted robberies took place in Baltimore.  One robbery was committed in York, Pennsylvania.

Specifically, on February 27 and March 12, Johnson robbed a bank in the 400 block of West Baltimore Street in Baltimore.  On March 4 and March 5, Johnson unsuccessfully attempted to rob banks in the 300 block of West Baltimore Street and the 2100 block of Eastern Avenue, both in Baltimore.  On March 5, Johnson robbed a bank located in the 2000 block of East Monument Street in Baltimore.  On March 12, Johnson robbed a second bank located in the 1100 block of North Charles Street in Baltimore.  Finally, on March 19, Johnson robbed a bank in the unit block of West Market Street in York, Pennsylvania, throwing the demand note at the teller, then reaching into the victim teller’s cash drawer, stealing $30 in cash.  In that robbery, Johnson also inadvertently took a GPS tracker hidden in bait money, which he threw in a nearby dumpster.

On March 14, 2020, the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force issued a media release of the robbery surveillance images captured during the robberies in Maryland.  The Baltimore Police Department subsequently received an anonymous tip that the robber was Johnson.  Law enforcement obtained prior photos of Johnson which matched the physical appearance of the suspect in the bank robberies.  On March 22, 2019, the York City Police Department located and arrested Johnson in York, Pennsylvania.  A search of Johnson recovered a bank robbery demand note, the language of which was consistent with the language in the notes used in previous robberies.  Johnson waived his rights and during an interview with law enforcement admitted committing the robberies and identified himself in surveillance photos from the robberies.  Later investigation revealed the existence of Johnson’s latent fingerprints on the demand notes he left behind after the attempted bank robbery and successful bank robbery on March 5, 2019, and the two March 12, 2019 bank robberies.

Johnson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Johnson will be sentenced to 141 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for March 1, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the York City Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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Contact

Marcia Murphy
(410) 209-4854

Updated December 17, 2020

Topic
Violent Crime