Investigators assigned to the FBI Richmond Division’s Central Virginia Violent Crimes Task Force are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the persons associated with a robbery attempt at one local bank and suspicious incidents at another.
On August 13, 2018, an unknown male subject entered the First Citizens Bank located in the 13000 block of Midlothian Turnpike in Midlothian, Virginia.
This subject handed the victim teller a demand note stating he was armed and wanted money.
The victim teller did not comply and the subject fled the bank on foot.
The subject is described as a black male, approximately 20-30 years of age, 5’10”, medium to average build with black hair and a goatee.
Prior to this robbery attempt, investigators believe this same individual visited the First Community Bank located in the 14000 block of Sommerville Court in Midlothian, Virginia, on July 23, 2018, under the pretense of opening an account.
On July 24, 2018, another unknown black male subject entered this same bank and appeared nervous while speaking with a teller.
When asked for identification, this person left the bank.
Shortly thereafter, a witness noticed two suspicious men crouching near the bank attempting to conceal their faces; when noticed, the subjects fled.
It’s alleged the male subject from the July 24, 2018, incident returned to the same bank on August 13, 2018, this time asking for directions.
Bank personnel recognized him from the previous visit, and after his departure locked the exterior doors as a precaution; just prior to another subject attempting to enter the bank.
Within hours of contact with these two suspicious subjects at First Community Bank, it appears they were involved in the robbery of the First Citizens Bank.
Please contact the Richmond Division of the FBI at 804-261-1044 or tips.FBI.gov with information that may lead to the identification of the persons responsible for these crimes.
(The FBI Bank Robbers App makes it easy for the public to help the FBI identify and catch the most violent and prolific serial bank robbers. Surveillance photos of suspects, as well as dates and other information about bank robberies are available on the app. Users can also receive alerts when a bank robbery has happened near them. Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and YouTube. Posted on Feb 8, 2018.)
Publicity Helps—and So Can You
The FBI has long used publicity to enlist the public’s help in taking dangerous criminals off the streets—from wanted posters tacked to post office walls in decades past to the social media and web technologies of today.
The Bank Robbers website—and the new FBI Bank Robbers mobile app—continue that tradition by calling specific attention to unknown violent and/or serial bank robbery suspects who are wanted by the Bureau.
The publicity works.
In one case, for example, the Bank Robbers website featured an unknown suspect believed responsible for multiple armed takeover style robberies in Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Local police later received a tip in the mail that broke the case wide open—a printed page from the website with a handwritten name scrawled across it.
That information helped authorities track down and arrest the suspect.
So use your smartphone in a crime-smart way—download the app and help protect your local community and the nation as a whole.
About the App
In late 2012, the FBI unveiled a specialized website at https://bankrobbers.fbi.gov containing pictures, profiles, and posters of wanted bank robbers around the country—the first national system of its kind.
Featuring a U.S. map and various search options and filters, the site enlists the help of the public in locating dangerous criminals—especially violent and serial offenders—who have robbed banks, credit unions, armored car companies, and related businesses.
Now, the FBI is taking this tool one step further by putting information from the site right at your fingertips—through a free mobile application that works on Apple and Android devices, including smartphones, iPads, and iPods.
It’s called the FBI Bank Robbers app, and it is designed to enable the public—along with financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, and other Bureau partners—to view details on bank robberies in different parts of the country more quickly and easily.
Benefits of the App
Similar to the full website, the FBI Bank Robbers app enables you to sort robberies by date, category (for example, armed serial bank robber), the FBI office working the case, or the state where the robbery occurred.
You can also access surveillance photos, physical description information, robbery details, and the FBI’s wanted poster for each suspect.
Along with the ease of use and convenience that comes with a mobile app, FBI Bank Robbers provides additional features and options not available on the website:
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If location services are enabled on your device, you can view a map that shows the bank robberies in your area.
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You can select push notifications to be informed when a bank robbery has taken place near your location.
