Bel Air Bank Robber Pleads Guilty In String Of Robberies

BALTIMORE, MD — A Baltimore man who tried to rob 10 businesses at gunpoint faces 21 years in federal prison, prosecutors say. One of the businesses he held up was a bank in Bel Air.

Anthony Eugene Wiggins, 40, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to affecting commerce by violence and discharging a firearm during an act of violence.

During a two-month period in 2018, Wiggins admitted he robbed or tried to rob five liquor stores and five banks while armed. In two cases, authorities said he fired a gun.

One of the robberies was Oct. 18, 2018, at Harford Bank on South Main Street in Bel Air.

Here is what Wiggins' plea agreement says about that case:

Related: Harford Bank In Bel Air Robbed Twice In Two Months

In almost every robbery, Wiggins threatened employees with physical violence; and in the final crime, prosecutors said he assaulted a customer as well as an employee.

At the time of the robberies, Wiggins was on federal supervised release for being a convicted felon in possession of firearm.

Between Sept. 24, 2018, and Nov. 15, 2018, Wiggins admitted to robbing or attempting to rob these businesses:

• Sept. 24 — Howard Bank of White Marsh, Philadelphia Road, Rosedale
• Oct. 4 — Chesapeake Bank, Carville Avenue, Arbutus
• Oct. 11 — Kopernik Bank, Eastern Avenue, Baltimore (attempt)
• Oct. 11 — First National Bank, Holabird Avenue, Dundalk
• Oct. 18 — Harford Bank, South Main Street, Bel Air
• Nov. 2 — Modern Discount Liquors, Holabird Avenue, Dundalk; firearm discharged
• Nov. 8 — Modern Discount Liquors, Holabird Avenue, Dundalk
• Nov. 10 — Dundalk Liquors, Dundalk Avenue, Dundalk
• Nov. 13 — Oak Grove Liquors, Holly Drive, Middle River; firearm discharged
• Nov. 13 — House of Spirit liquor store, Fleet Street, Baltimore
• Nov. 15 — George's Liquors, Merritt Avenue, Dundalk (attempt)

Wiggins was arrested Nov. 16, 2018. Investigators executed a search warrant at his apartment in the 1400 block of Anglesea Street in Baltimore that day and found items linking him to the crimes, including a sweatshirt he wore while trying to rob George's Liquors the day before that had his DNA and the DNA of someone he fought with in the store on it as well, according to the plea agreement.

During that robbery attempt, officials said Wiggins ordered a customer to empty his pockets and then got into a fight with the owner of George's Liquors, who approached him from behind with a gun and ordered him to drop his weapon. The owner ended up shooting into the floor, and Wiggins ran away, dropping his magazine behind, according to the plea agreement.

If a judge accepts the plea agreement, Wiggins may receive up to two years in federal prison for violating his supervised release and 10 to 19 years for the robberies.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell set sentencing for 2 p.m. on March 27, 2020.