Serial Bank Robbers Plead Guilty

RICHMOND, VA—Derek Lamar Tompkins, Age 36, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a bank robbery. His codefendant, David Darnell Lowery, Age 37, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charges on November 28, 2011, and codefendant Tyre Antoine Johnson, Age 28, of Temple Hills, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charges on November 22, 2011.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael Morehart, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement after the pleas were accepted by the court. Each of the men faces a maximum penalty of 20 years on the bank robbery conspiracy charge and up to life imprisonment on the firearm charge. Tompkins is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2012; Lowery is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2012; and Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2012, all by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

In their statements of facts filed in support of their pleas, each of the men acknowledged involvement in a ring that committed numerous robberies from June 2004 through November 2010 that resulted in the theft of over $1,000,000. Tompkins and Lowery both admitted to participating in 19 of those robberies. Johnson admitted that he joined the conspiracy later and participated in three of the robberies. Earlier this year, Judge Hudson sentenced Mustafa Khalil Naeem, another member of this robbery ring, to 30 years in federal prison for Naeem’s role in this conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, in conjunction with the local Police and Sheriff’s Departments for the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia; Fairfax County, Virginia; Charles County, Maryland; Montgomery County, Maryland; Anne Arundel County, Maryland; Howard County, Maryland; Arlington County, Virginia; the City of Alexandria, Virginia; the City of Fairfax, Virginia; the City of Raleigh, North Carolina; and the City of Florence, South Carolina. Assistant United States Attorney Olivia L. Norman is prosecuting 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 http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.