Serial Bank Robber Pleads Guilty to Three Robberies in Phoenix
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 25, 2009 |
PHOENIX—Ashley Townsend, 54, of Phoenix, Ariz., pleaded guilty yesterday to three counts of bank robbery for robbing banks in the Phoenix area in the spring and summer of this year.
Defendant pleaded guilty to committing three bank robberies on March 17th, April 22nd, and May 4th. Bank employees from all three banks positively identified Townsend as the robber. He approached bank tellers with a smiling face and a handwritten note demanding money, bragging “I am a professional” in each note. He was caught after the final bank robbery when a customer inside the grocery store saw him rob the bank and flee on foot. The customer got into his car and followed defendant, and called 911. The customer followed defendant to his apartment, where agents ultimately found him and the money he just stole from the bank.
A conviction for Bank Robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Sentencing is set before The Honorable Frederick J. Martone on December 16, 2009.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Phoenix Police Department, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Jennifer E. Green, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-09-675-PHX-FJM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2009-309(Townsend)