Jury
Convicts Three Serial Bank Robbers
- - -
Last Attempted Heist Led to Death of FBI Agent
TRENTON
- A federal jury today convicted three men for conspiring to commit
a series of violent bank robberies in central New Jersey in February
and March 2007. Two of the three were convicted for the April 2007 attempted
armed bank robbery in Readington during which FBI Special Agent Barry
Lee Bush was shot and killed. The third was not charged with that bank
robbery. The jury also convicted the three for roles in four other armed
bank robberies, Acting U.S. attorney Ralph J. Marra, Jr., announced.
The
jury convicted defendants Wilfredo Berrios, 30, aka "Robo Cop";
Francisco Herrera-Genao, 23, aka "Fongi"; and Efrain Lynn,
22, aka "Pepino." The defendants were all from New Brunswick.
The
trial began with opening arguments on Dec. 1 before U.S. District Judge
Anne E. Thompson. Closing arguments took place Monday. The jury deliberated
a full day on Tuesday and returned its verdicts at 3:15 p.m. today.
"It
was our intention to prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent
possible under federal law," said Marra. "We've accomplished
that and will now seek appropriately harsh and well-deserved prison
sentences for each of them."
"The FBI's commitment to unbiased investigation could not be better
exemplified than in this case," said FBI Special Agent in Charge
Weysan Dun. "Even through the tragic loss of Special Agent Barry
Lee Bush, this case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the
United States Attorney as if it were any other case."
The
case was prosecuted by Charles B. McKenna, Chief of the U.S. Attorney's
Office Criminal Division, and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob T. Elberg.
Each of the defendants faces decades in prison and potentially up to
life in prison.
Herrera-Genao, Berrios, and Lynn face mandatory prison terms of 110
years, 85 years, and 30 years, respectively, in addition to sentences
imposed for the bank robberies. (See conviction details for each defendant
below.) Judge Thompson scheduled sentencing for March 20. The defendants
remain in custody.
A
fourth defendant involved in the bank robbery crew, Michael Cruz, 22,
of New
Brunswick, pleaded guilty in January to the attempted robbery in Readington
and another armed robbery preceding it.
All
four of the defendants had been suspected in a series of violent bank
robberies in central New Jersey in February and March 2007. Berrios,
Herrera-Genao, and Cruz were being shadowed by an FBI task force which
closed in on them on April 5, 2007, outside the PNC Bank branch on Route
22 in Readington. During the arrest of Cruz in a car nearby the bank,
Special Agent Bush was shot and killed by an accidental discharge from
the weapon of another agent.
Berrios
was arrested at the PNC Bank in a car which held a .380 handgun, an
SKS assault rifle and an MDL assault rifle, all of which had been used
by the crew in prior bank robberies. Herrera-Genao fled on foot from
the car, and was arrested the next day. Lynn, who was not involved in
the attempted robbery of the PNC Bank, was arrested later in the day
on April 5 in New Brunswick. In each of the bank robberies, the heavily
armed suspects entered the banks and, in three cases, discharged weapons.
In one case, a bullet that ricocheted off the ceiling grazed a customer's
leg. In another instance, a fired bullet ricocheted into teller glass,
shattered the glass and caused a bank employee to be struck in the face
with glass and bullet fragments.
Two
of the defendants, Berrios and Lynn, were each acquitted of one count
of bank robbery and using a weapon.
Following
is a summary of each of the bank robberies, followed by details of the
convictions for each of the defendants:
Each
of the bank robbery counts carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in
prison. A conviction on the first related weapons offense for Berrios
and Herrera-Genao carries a mandatory consecutive 10 years in prison,
because the gun was fired in that bank robbery. Lynn faces a mandatory
5 years in prison for the first related weapons offense, because the
gun was not fired in that bank robbery. A conviction on each subsequent
weapons offense carries a mandatory consecutive 25 years in prison per
count.
The
cumulative impact of convictions on each of the counts is considerable,
given the fact that in each of the bank robberies weapons were used,
including a .380 handgun, an SKS assault rifle and an MDL assault rifle.
Marra
credited Special Agents of the FBI, as well as the numerous other local
police departments, including Piscataway, East Brunswick, New Brunswick,
Ocean Township, South Brunswick, Readington and the State Police, as
well as the Monmouth, Somerset and Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office,
all of whom comprised the task force charged with ending the gang's
serial bank robbery spree.
Defense
counsel:
For Berrios - John Furlong, Esq., West Trenton
For Herrera-Genao - Martin Matlaga, Esq., New Brunswick
For Lynn - David Oakley, Esq., Princeton
For Cruz - Michael Pedicini, Esq., Morristown