Milwaukee Men Charged with Six Bank Robberies
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 08, 2011 |
James L. Santelle, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that two Milwaukee men have been indicted in federal court on multiple bank robbery and firearms charges. The indictment charges Eric Griffin (age 45) and Ernest Clark (age 43) each with the commission of six armed bank robberies and the use of firearms to facilitate the bank robberies. The defendants face up to 25 years in prison on each bank robbery count. The defendants face a minimum of seven years for the first related firearms charge, and a minimum of 25 years on any subsequent related firearms charges. Each defendant also faces a maximum fine of $250,000 on each count. In addition, Griffin is charged in two counts with possession of a firearm by a felon which alleges that Griffin is an armed career criminal because he has three prior convictions for crimes of violence. As a consequence, Griffin faces a minimum term of 15 years and up to life in prison on each of the felon in possession counts.
The indictment alleges that Griffin and Clark committed the following armed bank robberies:
- US Bank, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 27, 2008.
- Bank Mutual, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 23, 2009.
- National City Bank, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on November 4, 2009.
- Maritime Savings Bank, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 21, 2009.
- US Bank, Delafield, Wisconsin on February 9, 2010 (Griffin only).
- Anchor Bank, West Allis, Wisconsin on February 17, 2010.
- Pyramax Bank, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 18, 2010 (Clark only).
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation of these bank robberies was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with the West Allis, Wauwatosa, Delafield, and Milwaukee Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William J. Lipscomb of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, United States Department of Justice.