West New York, New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Four Banks
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 02, 2011 |
NEWARK, NJ—A West New York, New Jersey man admitted today to robbing four banks between September 9 and December 14, 2010, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Victor Vazquez, 63, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with four counts of bank robbery, admitting he robbed banks in Bergen and Hudson Counties. Vazquez entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Vazquez admitted to robbing or attempting to rob the following banks:
| Count | Date | Bank Location |
| 1 | September 9, 2010 | Valley National Bank 111 Hackensack Avenue Hackensack, New Jersey |
| 2 | December 3, 2010 | Oritani Bank 311 Fairview Avenue Fairview, New Jersey |
| 3 | December 14, 2010 | TD Bank 4312 Bergenline Avenue Union City, New Jersey |
| 4 | December 14, 2010 | GSL Savings Bank 6823 Bergenline Avenue Guttenberg, New Jersey |
Vazquez disguised himself by wearing a hat and makeup, such as a fake moustache and beard, during the robberies. During each of the robberies, he would enter the bank and demand money from the tellers, either verbally or using a note. During each of the robberies, Vazquez gestured toward a small pipe hidden in the sleeve of his jacket that appeared to be a weapon.
On December 14, 2010, Vazquez was arrested in North Bergen while driving a vehicle that witnesses identified as being used following the attempted robbery of the TD Bank in Union City earlier the same day. Inside the vehicle, officers found the makeup and baseball hat that Vazquez had used in the robberies, as well as the money that Vazquez had stolen from the GSL Savings bank earlier that day. Vazquez has been in custody since that time.
The charges to which Vazquez pleaded guilty each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 23, 2011.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark, along with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the North Bergen Police Department, the Union City Police Department, the Fairview Police Department, and the Hackensack Police Department for the work leading to the identification and apprehension of the defendant.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam N. Subervi of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Patrick McMahon, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark, N.J.