BALTIMORE ARMED BANK ROBBER PLEADS GUILTY

 

Baltimore, Maryland - Daryl Ramon Jackson, age 30, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to bank robbery and using a firearm in connection with the bank robbery, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

        According to the plea agreement, co-defendant Dwayne Saunders recruited Jackson to participate in a bank robbery.  Saunders told Jackson that he had recently committed a carjacking and stashed the car for use in the bank robbery.  On July 12, 2007 Jackson and  Saunders drove the car to the Wachovia Bank at 632 Eastern Boulevard in Essex, Maryland. They entered the bank wearing masks and carrying handguns.  Jackson stayed by the entry doors, keeping customers from leaving the bank and forcing incoming customers to the ground.  He stole $27 from a customer.  Saunders ordered the tellers to the ground.  A teller reached under a counter and pressed the alarm button.  Saunders put his gun to the teller’s head and ordered her away from the counter.  Saunders emptied $24,438.15 and dye packs from the tellers’ drawers, and the two drove away as the dye packs exploded.

        A citizen outside called in the tag number of the car to the police.  A police officer spotted the car and after a brief chase, arrested Jackson and Saunders who were covered with red dye.  The vehicle was filled with red dye and the stolen dye stained money.  A loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun  and two pellet guns, which looked like real handguns, were found in the back seat.

        Jackson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for bank robbery; and a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison, and a maximum of life in prison, for brandishing a firearm during the bank robbery, consecutive to the sentence for bank robbery.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for January 18, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. 

        Saunders, age 24, also of Baltimore, previously pled guilty to the same charges.   Judge Bennett scheduled his sentence for January 4, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.

        United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation and  the Baltimore County Police Department for their investigative work.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow,  who is prosecuting the case.