Two Men Indicted on Armed Bank Robbery and Firearms Charges in Connection with North Greenbush Bank Robbery

ALBANY, NEW YORK – A federal grand jury today indicted two men in connection with a February 2019 armed robbery of an M&T Bank branch in which a bank employee was shot.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Keith M. Corlett, Superintendent of the New York State Police.

The indictment charges Christopher J. Cohn a/k/a “Wolf,” age 26, of Albany, and Ulysses Jessie Walls a/k/a “Guwala,” age 25, of Rensselaer, New York, with armed bank robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.  According to the indictment and a previously filed criminal complaint, Cohn and Walls entered an M&T Bank branch in North Greenbush on the morning of February 26, 2019, each wearing a ski mask and brandishing a gun.  In the course of the robbery, Cohn fired multiple shots, including one that grazed an employee of the bank.  Law enforcement arrested Cohn, Walls and their alleged getaway driver Quardel Valentine, at an Albany motel shortly after the robbery.  Valentine remains charged by criminal complaint.

The charges are merely accusations.  The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted on the armed bank robbery charge, Cohn and Walls each face at least 10 years and as much as life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 5 years.  If convicted of the firearm charge, Cohn and Walls each face at least 10 years and up to life in prison, to be served consecutive to the term of imprisonment for the armed bank robbery charge.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case is being investigated by the FBI, the New York State Police, the Town of North Greenbush Police Department, the Albany Police Department, and the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal and Wayne A. Myers.