Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Bank Robberies

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for aiding and abetting the commission of two armed bank robberies.

According to court documents, Andrew Welton, aka “Manny”, 28, along with two associates, participated in a bank robbery on Dec. 20, 2017. Welton scoped out the BB&T bank on Lakeside Avenue in Henrico, and then provided Amber Fusco with a revolver while Jennifer Bessette wrote the demand note and served as the getaway car driver. Three days later, the trio committed a similar bank robbery, this time involving the Wells Fargo Bank in Richmond. After the robbery, Welton was stopped by law enforcement and part of the proceeds from the robbery were recovered from his vehicle.

Co-defendants Jennifer Bessette and Amber Fusco were previously sentenced to 7 1/2 years and 15 years in prison, respectively.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, and William C. Smith, Interim Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-163.