Wesley Phillip Wilson, Jr., 44, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to a series of bank robberies and firearms offenses that took place in Maryland and Virginia. The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and several law enforcement officials from local police departments and the FBI.
According to court documents, Wilson carried out four bank robberies and attempted a fifth between November 19 and December 7, 2020. On November 19, he robbed a Prince George’s County bank of about $1,570 after handing a teller a threatening note demanding large bills and warning against activating alarms.
On November 23, Wilson robbed an Anne Arundel County bank using another note threatening violence if alarms were triggered. He left with $2,709. Two days later in Woodbridge, Virginia, he attempted another robbery by passing a note and brandishing a handgun but fled without money when the teller tried to activate an alarm.
Wilson continued his spree on November 28 in Montgomery County where he used a note to obtain $3,000 from a teller. On December 7 in Manassas, Virginia, he pointed a handgun at two employees during the robbery and left with approximately $6,135 after also taking cash from another employee who included a GPS tracker with the money.
Law enforcement tracked Wilson to a shopping center using the GPS device placed with the stolen money from the Manassas robbery. Officers found him at the location along with stolen cash both inside his vehicle and on his person. Upon being detained in connection with the Prince William County incident, Wilson confessed on site as well as during an interview after his arrest.
A search of Wilson’s vehicle revealed proceeds from previous robberies along with a Polymer80 9mm handgun and ammunition linked to the crimes.
Wilson faces up to 20 years in federal prison for bank robbery charges and up to 25 years for armed robbery charges. For using or brandishing a firearm during these crimes of violence he faces an additional minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment consecutive to other sentences.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which coordinates efforts among law enforcement agencies at all levels to reduce violent crime and gun violence across communities nationwide. The Department of Justice enhanced its violent crime reduction strategy under PSN beginning May 26, 2021; this approach emphasizes community trust-building initiatives alongside focused enforcement priorities (https://www.justice.gov/psn).
Kelly O. Hayes praised the collaborative work among multiple agencies including FBI field offices in Baltimore and Washington D.C., as well as county police departments involved in investigating these incidents: “U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, PGPD, Anne Arundel County Police Department, MCPD, Manassas City Police Department, PWCPD, and FCPD for their work in the investigation.” She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dawn Williams and Timothy F. Hagan Jr., along with John Blanchard from the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles in prosecuting this case: “Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dawn Williams and Timothy F. Hagan Jr., who are prosecuting this case along with Assistant U.S. Attorney John Blanchard Eastern District of Virginia for his valuable assistance.”
Further information about resources offered by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md.
