Cherry Hill Bank Robbery Results In Guilty Plea

CAMDEN, NJ — A man admitted Tuesday in federal court to robbing two banks, including one in Cherry Hill. The incidents could land Leon I. Stanford in prison for the rest of his life.

Federal prosecutors accused Stanford of robbing Oaklyn's TD Bank in February 2020 and then robbing Republic Bank in Cherry Hill two days later. The Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, resident pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery at the U.S. District Court in Camden.

Sentencing is set for July 18. Stanford, 54, faces up to 20 years in prison for each robbery. Each count can also include a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

At the time of the robberies, Stanford was on federal supervised release for previous bank-robbery convictions, for which he spent 10 years in prison.

Stanford entered TD Bank on Feb. 22, 2020, and handed the bank tell a note which announced a robbery and demanded cash, according to federal prosecutors. The teller complied and handed him about $500. Two days later, he did the same in Cherry Hill, receiving about $555 from the teller, authorities said.

Witnesses saw Stanford leave both scenes in a white SUV. Law enforcement obtained a partial license-plate number from nearby surveillance videos, which generated a lead to Stanford's vehicle. He was arrested Feb. 26, 2020 — four days after the second robbery.