Bel Air Bank Robber Sentenced to 30 Years: U.S. Attorney

A man who stole $21,444 from two Bel Air banks on his three-year armed robbery spree in Baltimore and Harford counties was sentenced recently to 30 years in jail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

John Joseph Wilson, 54, of Dundalk, was sentenced to thirty years in prison Friday for multiple robberies—including the Sovereign Bank on Emmorton Road and Liberty Federal Savings Bank on US 1 in Bel Air—the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.

In every robbery except for one, Wilson pointed a firearm at an employee, and during his final robbery, he shot at a citizen who was chasing him, the report said. Wilson was arrested Oct. 9, 2013, after he attempted to rob the Benson Post Office on Connolly Road in Fallston for the third time, according to the report.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Wilson pleaded guilty to these robberies and attempts between July 2010 and October 2013:

• $6,883.50 from Mars on Philadelphia Road in Baltimore; July 22, 2010
• $6,064.01 from Mars (same store as above); Aug. 27, 2010
• $8,297 from Madison Square Federal Savings Bank in Fallston; Sept. 30, 2010
• Attempted to rob same Fallston bank as above but employees recognized him and denied him entry; Oct. 9, 2010
• $4,116.66 from BB&T Bank in Fallston; Nov. 5, 2012
• $490 from Benson Post Office in Fallston; Dec. 12, 2012
• $8,684 from Sovereign Bank in Bel Air; Dec. 17, 2012
• $8,960 from same Sovereign Bank in Bel Air; Jan. 4, 2013
• $930 from BB&T Bank in Fallston (same as Nov. 5 location); Feb. 4, 2013
• Attempted to enter Sovereign Bank in Bel Air but denied; April 27, 2013
• $821 from Benson Post Office in Fallston; April 27, 2013
• $3,800 from Liberty Federal Savings in Bel Air; Sept. 6, 2013
• Attempt to rob Benson Post Office (third time); Oct. 5, 2013

The robberies yielded $49,046.17, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

When the postal clerk in Fallston saw Wilson’s gun in October 2013, she went to the business next door and alerted the owner, who chased the suspect, the report said.

The suspect shot at the business owner before getting away, but evidence processed at the crime scene helped investigators identify Wilson as the suspect, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Wilson was arrested Oct. 9, 2013, and authorities recovered the revolver and shotgun used in all but one of the robberies, the report said.

“If we are serious about reducing gun crime, we need to be serious about sentencing armed criminals to long terms in prison,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said. “Hopefully, John Joseph Wilson has committed his last armed robbery.”

After the 30 years in jail, Wilson was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Photo from Fallston Post Office robbery in October 2013.

Related:

• Armed Man Jumps Counter, Robs Post Office
• Fallston Bank Robbed at Gunpoint