Serial Bank Robber Pleads Guilty—Alleged Co-Conspirators Indicted

RICHMOND, VA—Mustafa Khalil Naeem, Age 56, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was sentenced for Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery; Bank Robbery; and Using, Carrying and Brandishing a Firearm During a Bank Robbery.

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 sentencing by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Judge Hudson accepted the joint recommendation of the parties and sentenced Naeem to a total of 30 years’ active incarceration on the three charges.

The agreement reached resolves 18 unsolved robberies committed by Naeem and others from June 2004, through September 2009, spanning from Maryland to South Carolina, as well as Naeem’s independent armed robbery of the Virginia Partners Bank in Fredericksburg, Virginia on September 25, 2009. The robberies resulted in the theft of over $1,000,000 and the agreement included an order for Naeem to pay restitution to the banks he robbed.

In a related case, Naeem’s alleged coconspirators, David Darnell Lowery, age 37; Derek Lamar Tompkins, age 35; and Tyre Antoine Johnson, age 27; all of Maryland, were charged in a two count indictment returned on August 16, 2011, charging them with Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery and Using, Carrying and Brandishing a Firearm During that Conspiracy. The conspiracy charge alleges 24 separate bank robberies committed as a part of the conspiracy spanning from June 2004 through November 2010, with an alleged loss amount of over $1.3 million. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment. The firearm charge carries a minimum mandatory term of seven years and a maximum of life imprisonment. Lowery and Tompkins are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on August 31, 2011 before Judge Hudson. Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned on September 30, 2011.

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.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 pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.