District Man Found Guilty of Federal Charges For Three Bank Robberies in 24-Hour Period

            WASHINGTON – Tyrone Edward Wright, 46, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today of committing three bank robberies during a 24-hour period, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Interim Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Wright was found guilty by a jury of three counts of bank robbery, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he could face a range of 70 to 87 months of incarceration. Wright, who represented himself at the trial, will be sentenced at a date to be determined later by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras.

            According to the government’s evidence, Wright was responsible for three bank robberies during a 24-hour period in April of 2016. The robberies occurred at two banks located within blocks of one another in the NOMA neighborhood of Washington, D.C., along the First Street NE corridor. During each of the robberies, the defendant entered the bank and passed a demand note to the teller before leaving with his demand note and bank money.

            The first robbery took place at approximately 3:30 p.m. on April 20, 2016, at Premier Bank branch in the 1100 block of First Street NE. The second took place at 12:25 p.m. the following day at a TD bank in the 1200 block of First Street, and the third took place just eight minutes later, once again at the Premier Bank branch. A total of $6,577 was taken by the defendant. Wright was stopped by law enforcement a few blocks and minutes away from the final bank robbery, while coming out of a public library in the 100 block of L Street NW, with the proceeds of the latest robbery stuffed in his shoes and pocket. Bank videos of the robberies captured images of the robberies and the suspect in great detail.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Interim Chief Newsham praised the work of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, which in this case involved work from the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Inspector General’s Office of the Department of Energy. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the District of Columbia Public Library Police Department. They commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisor Paralegal Specialist Mary Downing; Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle, Catherine O’Neal and Tisha Tobias; Legal Assistant Latoya Wade; Litigation Support Specialists Jeanie Lattimore-Brown and Paul Howell and Kimberly Smith; and Intern Zachary Kaplan. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Gripkey, who indicted and tried the case.