Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty To Bank Robbery

CONTACT: Barbara Burns   
PHONE:       (716) 843-5817 
FAX #:          (716) 551-3051  

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Anthony Wilson, 34, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to aggravated bank robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of life and a $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that on the morning of October 26, 2017, Wilson and co-defendants Adrian D. Applewhite and Khalil Holland, traveled to Angola, NY to rob the Lakeshore Federal Credit Union on Erie Road. Defendant Holland entered the Lakeshore Federal Credit Union wearing a mask and brandishing a semi-automatic pistol given to him by Wilson, while Wilson waited in a car nearby. Holland approached the teller and demanded money; however, the alarm was activated, and Holland left without taking any money. Holland fled on foot and was arrested shortly thereafter. During the pursuit, Holland discarded the pistol.

Defendant Applewhite was previously convicted in federal court and is awaiting sentencing. Defendant Holland was previously convicted and sentenced in New York State Court.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eugene Staniszewski; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Packard; the Evans Police Department, under the direction of Chief Douglas J. Czora; the Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James P. Stauffiger; and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney John Flynn. 

Sentencing is scheduled for November 23, 2022, before Judge Arcara.

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