Maryland Man Convicted of Two Convenience Store Robberies and Money Laundering

A man who was previously convicted of robbing the Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust on Council Street in Cedar Rapids on January 3, 2024, pled guilty to additional charges today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Andrew Philip Derr, age 22, from Fredrick, Maryland, was convicted of Two Convenience Store Robberies and Money Laundering.

In a plea agreement, Derr admitted that after being discharged from the military for misconduct in 2023, he moved to Iowa City and conducted a series of robberies in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area.  Derr admitted that on December 27, 2023, he robbed the Casey’s General Store in Robins, Iowa, and obtained over $7,000 in cash. Derr admitted that on January 1, 2024, he robbed the Kum & Go store on Four Oaks Drive in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Derr was previously convicted and sentenced for robbing the Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust branch on Council Street in Cedar Rapids on January 3, 2024, in which he obtained over $16,000 in cash.  Derr admitted that after each robbery he laundered the stolen funds by making multiple deposits into his Maryland Bank account to disguise the nature, source of ownership of the funds.  Ultimately on January 3, 2024, Derr flew to Maryland, and subsequently made two deposits of robbery proceeds totaling more than $4,800.  When the United States Marshals Service tried to arrest Derr at his Iowa City, Iowa, apartment, they found a note stating, “Catch me if you can.” On January 12, 2024, Derr turned himself into Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office.  

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Derr remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Derr faces a possible maximum sentence of 60 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.  Additionally, Derr must forfeit the stolen funds from the convenience store robberies and the money that he laundered and will be required to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the United States Marshals Service’s Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, Robins Police Department, Linn County Attorney’s Office, the University of Iowa Police Department and the Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 24-CR-00105

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