Guilty Plea in Richmond Bank Robbery

(Richmond, VA) – Christopher Jackson, age 40, of Fairfax, Virginia, pled guilty today to bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced before Judge Richard L. Williams on November 20, 2007. As part of the plea, Jackson agreed to pay full restitution for this robbery and all others he committed in Virginia and Maryland from November 5, 2005 through May 19, 2007. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charles J. Cunningham, Special Agent-In-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Richmond Division; Colonel David M. Rohrer, Chief of Police, Fairfax Police Department; Howard Smith, Sheriff, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office; and David W. Nye, Chief of Police, redericksburg Police Department announced the charges.

In entering his plea, Jackson admitted that on May 7, 2007, he entered the Giant Grocery Store, located at 3501 Plank Road, Spotsylvania, Virginia, with the intention of robbing the Chevy Chase Bank facility located within the grocery store. He approached the Chevy Chase

Bank teller and provided her with a note demanding money from the bank. Jackson instructed the teller to provide him with large bills and no dye packs. He also motioned to his side a few times to make the teller believe he was pointing to a concealed gun, although he did not have a weapon with him at the time of the robbery. Jackson also told the teller: to “hurry up;” “I have a gun;” and “don’t pull the alarm.” Out of fear for her life, the teller provided the defendant with approximately $2,511.00 in bank funds. Jackson exited the bank with the stolen money and fled the location.

For restitution and sentencing purposes, Jackson admitted to his involvement in a total of 13 robberies occurring in different parts of Virginia and Maryland. The defendant agreed that all of these robberies should be considered “relevant conduct” for calculating his sentence, heaning that he will be punished for his role in stealing money from all of the banks. The total loss amount caused by the defendant’s related robbery activities is approximately $30,972.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fairfax County Police Department, in cooperation with other police departments in Dale City, Springfield, Clifton, and Spotsylvania, Virginia. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gill is prosecuting the case for the United States.