Chesapeake Man Convicted of Multiple Bank Robbery and Related Firearms Charges

NORFOLK, VA—Leonard Earl Roulhac, 39, of Chesapeake, Va., was convicted yesterday by a Norfolk federal court jury of multiple bank robbery and related firearms charges after a five-day trial. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the verdict. Roulhac faces up to 383 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 18, 2010 by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.

Roulhac was indicted on August 6, 2009. Late yesterday, he was found guilty of 11 robbery counts; nine counts of using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence; and 10 counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to the trial testimony and evidence, over a six-month period, from December 2008 to May 2009, Roulhac robbed or attempted to rob 12 financial institutions in the Hampton Roads area. In nine of the robberies he used or implied he would use the firearm he was carrying while he demanded money. The loss to the financial institutions is approximately $36,000.

This case was investigated by the Norfolk offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Sherrie Capotosto and Special Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Fitzwater prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.