Pennsylvania Man Admits Three Armed Robberies In South Jersey

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, man today admitted committing three armed robberies in Salem, Ocean, and Cumberland counties in November 2017, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jeffrey Edmonds, 45, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of bank robbery, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Nov. 1, 2017, Edmonds and Terrance Robinson, 31, of Havertown, Pennsylvania, drove together to a convenience store in Upper Pittsgrove Township, stopping along the way to pick up a handgun and remove the license plates from the car that Edmonds was driving. After arriving at the convenience store, Edmonds remained in the getaway car while Robinson entered the store with the handgun and stole approximately $179.

Edmonds and Robinson later robbed an Ocean First Bank in Upper Deerfield Township on Nov. 6, 2017 and a Fulton Savings Bank in Alloway Township on Nov. 14, 2017. Prior to robbing the banks, Edmonds and Robinson removed the license plates from the getaway car. Robinson stayed in the getaway car while Edmonds entered the banks and robbed them with a handgun.

Each of the three robbery offenses carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence charge carries a consecutive minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment. Each offense also carries a potential $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2018.

Robinson remains charged by complaint for his alleged roles in the robberies. The charges and allegations against him are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Harpster in Philadelphia, special agents of the FBI Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie, and officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara A. Aliabadi of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense Counsel: Wayne Powell Esq., Cherry Hill, New Jersey