July 10, 2014

Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to More Than 60 Years in Prison

Michael Jerome Henry, 24, formerly of Ann Arbor was sentenced today to 730 months in federal prison, following his conviction on October 18, 2013 by a federal jury in Detroit on charges of bank robbery and using a firearm during a federal crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced.

McQuade was joined in the announcement by Paul Abbate Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit.

The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Robert H. Cleland.

The evidence presented at trial established that Michael Henry and other unidentified individuals robbed a Chase Bank branch in Ypsilanti on September 22, 2009, a Bank of America branch in Ann Arbor, on two separate occasions of November 5, 2009 and October 21, 2010. Henry’s role in each robbery was to jump over the teller counter and retrieve money while his partner stood guard by the door brandishing, and sometimes discharging, a firearm. Henry and his accomplice would typically first steal a vehicle which they used to transport them to the bank, and then flee on foot to another waiting vehicle with the stolen money. The robbery proceeds amounted to $4,385, $23,179 and $11,966 respectively. Henry was caught and convicted partly due to his DNA being recovered from masks used during the robberies. Henry’s accomplice remains at large.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the FBI, the Ann Arbor Police Department, and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth Chadwell.