Maryland Man Convicted of Four Armed Bank Robberies in Fairfax County

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Edward Martin Andrews, 47, of Oxon Hill, Md., was convicted today by a federal jury of committing four armed bank robberies at bank branches throughout Fairfax County.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Andrews was indicted on October 10, 2011, on four counts of bank robbery, four counts of carrying a weapon during a crime of violence, and four counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Today, he was found guilty on all counts. Andrews faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 80 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced on January 13, 2012.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Andrews robbed the BB&T Bank in Oakton, Va., on the morning of June 8, 2011. After holding the bank teller at gunpoint, Andrews took money from a teller drawer and placed it in his pants before fleeing the scene. Within minutes, Fairfax County Police and the FBI located Andrews’ vehicle on Interstate 495 and attempted to pull the vehicle over. The pursuit ultimately ended in Washington, D.C., where Andrew’s car became disabled after crashing into several cars. Andrews was apprehended wearing pants stained by an exploded dye pack, a device used to identify stolen bank funds. The pistol used in the robbery was also recovered from the floorboard of the vehicle. During further investigation, authorities identified Andrews as the suspect in the armed robberies of the Congressional Bank on April 11, 2011, Cardinal Bank on May 13, 2011, and United Bank on May 19, 2011. During these robberies, security cameras filmed Andrews wearing a ski mask and brandishing a pistol as he hopped teller counters to obtain the money. During one of the robberies, when a teller did not open the cash drawer fast enough, Andrews repeatedly pistol-whipped the teller. Authorities used DNA recovered from two of the robberies to link Andrews to those crimes.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department and the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Marc J. Birnbaum and Assistant United States Attorney Rebeca Bellows are 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.justice.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.