Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Multiple Bank Robberies

RICHMOND, Va. – A Vermont woman was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for committing multiple armed bank robberies in Virginia and Vermont.

According to court documents, Amber R. Fusco, 30, drove from Vermont to Virginia in December 2017 with two other individuals. On the way to Virginia, the three stopped in New York City where Fusco stole a $35,000 Rolex watch from a jewelry store. The watch was recovered, but Fusco and her associates managed to get away. Once in Virginia, Fusco robbed a BB&T Bank in Henrico on Dec. 20, 2017. She entered the bank armed with a revolver and handed the teller a demand note. Fusco then displayed the firearm to the teller demanding that she hurry up. After receiving the money, Fusco fled the bank returning to where her associates were waiting. On Dec. 23, 2017, Fusco went into a Wells Fargo Bank in Richmond and handed a teller a note demanding money. After receiving the money, Fusco fled the bank, and managed to elude capture. Fusco returned to Vermont on Christmas Eve and committed three more bank robberies in January 2018. As part of her plea, Fusco admitted to committing all five bank robberies, and to brandishing a weapon during the BB&T robbery.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Alfred Durham, Chief of Richmond Police, and Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller 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 is 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-67.