December 18, 2007

BANK ROBBER SENTENCED

Northern District of New York United States Attorney Glenn T. Suddaby, District of Vermont United States Attorney Thomas D. Anderson, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent-in-Charge John F. Pikus, New York State Police Superintendent Preston Felton, Saratoga County Sheriff James Bowen, Schenectady Police Department Commissioner Wayne Bennett, Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland, Saratoga County District Attorney James A, Murphy, III, Schenectady District Attorney Robert M. Carney, Rensselaer County District Attorney DeAngelis, and Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan announce that Andrew McKenna, age 38, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to imprisonment for 65 months, to be followed by supervised release for 3 years, and ordered to pay $24,957 in restitution and a $800 special assessment. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn, in Albany, New York, upon McKenna's conviction, pursuant to his pleas of guilty, to six felony counts of bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a), and two felony counts of Interference with Commerce by Threats or Violence (Hobbs Act), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 1951(a). Four of the bank robberies occurred in the Northern District of New York, and two of the bank robberies occurred in the District of Vermont. The two Hobbs Act violations were Price Chopper robberies.

At the guilty plea, McKenna admitted to robbing:

i. $5,860 from the TD Bank North located in Lake George, New York;
ii. $985 from the Trustco Bank located in Schenectady, New York;
iii. $3,650 from the Trustco Bank located in Bennington, Vermont;
iv. $1,427 from the Chittendon Bank located in Bennington, Vermont;
v. $2,708 from the First Niagara Bank located in Schenectady, New York;
vi. $9,600 from the Price Chopper located in Schenectady, New York;
vii. $727 from the Price Chopper located in Malta, New York; and
viii. $1,660 from the First Niagara Bank in Nassau, New York (which was recovered when McKenna was arrested).

In all of the robberies, McKenna approached either the bank teller or the sales clerk and presented them with a note which stated, in sum and substance, to stay calm, that he had a gun, and to give him money.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department, the Schenectady Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff's Department, the Vermont United States Attorney's Office, the Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office, the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office, the Schenectady District Attorney's Office, and the Warren County District Attorney's Office.

The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.