Cousins Convicted of Armed Robbery Sentenced to Prison

RICHMOND, Va. – Two cousins were sentenced today to a combined 24 years in prison for their roles in an armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, John Campbell, 45, of Richmond, and Alhakka Campbell, 45 of Knightdale, North Carolina, stormed into a Wells Fargo Bank in Henrico shortly after the bank opened in November 2017. While John Campbell threatened employees with a firearm, Alhakka Campbell vaulted the teller counter, removing approximately $5,197 in cash from teller drawers and stuffing it into a black bag. The cousins then fled the bank in a stolen pickup truck that they later abandoned. When Alhakka Campbell removed the cash, he unknowingly grabbed two GPS tracking devices, which broadcast the location of the stolen currency to law enforcement. Law enforcement immediately responded to the location of the GPS trackers, leading to the arrest of both men, and the recovery of the firearm used by John Campbell during the robbery.

John Campbell was sentenced to 13 years in prison for armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Alhakka Campbell was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for armed robbery.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gill prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-124.