Man Charged for June 8, 2009 Robbery of Bank of America in Dowagiac, Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Leon Brown, 63, of Nashville, Tennessee, was charged by a federal grand jury for the robbery of the Bank of America branch in Dowagiac, Michigan, announced U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis and Dowagiac Director of Public Safety Thomas Atkinson.

On June 8, 2009, a man entered the bank armed with what appeared to be a handgun. The robber pointed the gun at multiple employees and obtained money from the tellers before fleeing the scene. A joint investigation by the Dowagiac Police Department and the FBI developed a suspect. Officers and agents were assisted by tips from the community and other agencies, which led them to the state of Tennessee in early November of 2009. Dowagiac police and federal agents continued their investigation in Nashville and surrounding cities and identified the bank robber as Leon Brown. A federal warrant was issued for his arrest, which was followed by the recent federal indictment.

This matter remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding the Bank of America robbery in June 2009 is asked to contact the Dowagiac Police Department at 269-782-9743 or the FBI in St. Joseph, MI at 269-982-0390.

The investigation is being conducted by, among others, the Dowagiac Police Department, FBI, Cass County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force in Nashville, with the assistance of the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office.

The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.