A 38-year-old New Brunswick man has been arrested and charged in a string of bank robberies spanning from September 2012 to February 2013. The man is accused of robbing Valley National Bank in Newark and robbing three additional branches of the bank, two in Belleville and one in Passaic. He also faces a theft charge stemming from the alleged attempted robbery of a Sovereign Bank branch in Newark.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that the same procedure was used in all five incidents. A man believed to be the 38-year-old entered the bank and approached the teller window. He then handed the teller a note that stated that he had a gun, and it also demanded that the teller give him money.
The accused appeared in the United States District Court in Newark on March 13. If he is convicted on the charges, the man faces up to 20 years of federal imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
A person who has been accused of committing a crime has a constitutional right to a fair trial. One way to ensure that these constitutional rights are protected is to consult a criminal defense attorney to discuss the specific facts of the case. The attorney has the ability to review all of the evidence and may be able to argue for suppressing or excluding incriminating evidence. In cases where a conviction is based in part on eyewitness identification, an attorney may be able to argue that the identification is unreliable or faulty.
Source: NewJersey.com, “New Brunswick man charged with robbing five banks in Essex, Passaic,” Anthony G. Attrino, March 14, 2013