BOWIE, Md. –
BOWIE, Md. – Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown recently announced the indictment of seven individuals on multiple charges stemming from a nearly yearlong series of robberies and attempted robberies targeting bank customers across five Maryland counties.
The charges—brought as a result of a coordinated investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Maryland Office of the Attorney General Organized Crime Unit, NCIS, and approximately 16 additional federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies—include participation in a criminal gang, attempted murder, armed carjacking, armed robbery, assault, and firearms violations.
From August 2023 through July 2024, suspects linked to two criminal organizations carried out approximately 34 robberies and attempted robberies using a method known as bank jugging—following victims who had recently visited a bank or ATM and robbing them, often at gunpoint, when they arrived at less secure locations or their homes.
A pivotal break in the investigation came following an August 29, 2023, robbery at a Navy Federal Credit Union located on a naval installation in Maryland. The victim, after withdrawing a large sum of money, was approached by a masked gunman while entering their vehicle. A struggle ensued, during which a second suspect joined the assault, biting the victim and firing a weapon.
NCIS Resident Agency Annapolis led the investigation into the incident, recovering a spent casing from the scene. Ballistics analysis linked the casing to other robberies in the National Capital Region. Additionally, DNA obtained from the victim's clothing identified one of the attackers. In December 2023, ATF executed a search warrant at an apartment in Largo, Maryland, where they recovered the firearm linked to the NCIS case and others.
Following the press conference held May 9 in Bowie, Maryland, Attorney General Brown recognized the investigative contributions of NCIS and praised Special Agent in Charge Hanna Porterfield and other attending law enforcement representatives.
This story references information from a Maryland Office of the Attorney General press release, dated May 9, which may be read
here.