Derrick ‘Fly’ White Gets 15+ Years for Post Office, Bank Heists

Derrick White, also known as “Fly,” 53, of Hamden, is headed to federal prison for more than 15 years after being sentenced to 188 months for the armed robberies of the Allingtown Post Office in West Haven and a Wells Fargo Bank in Hamden on April 21, 2016. U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson handed down the sentence in Hartford, followed by five years of supervised release, capping a violent crime spree that unfolded across two towns in a single day.

The morning of April 21 started with a punch: White, Malcolm Haynes, Howard Bookert, and an unidentified male arrived near 75 Farwell Avenue in White’s vehicle. Armed with a .22 caliber rifle, Haynes stormed the Allingtown Post Office, pointing the weapon at customers and staff, forcing them away from the counter. White vaulted over the desk, waved the postal clerk aside, snatched the cash drawer, and handed it off to Bookert. They fled with $491 — loose change for a crew with a loaded agenda.

Hours later, the same crew struck again — this time at 1647 Whitney Avenue, inside a Wells Fargo Bank in Hamden. Haynes, rifle in hand, again trained his weapon on employees while White moved behind the counter, raking approximately $9,287 from teller drawers. The fourth suspect flashed what appeared to be a small black semi-automatic pistol, escalating the terror in the packed branch. Panic followed. So did the feds.

By nightfall, White and Bookert were in custody in New Haven. Investigators recovered the .22 rifle Haynes had used, stashed in a plastic garbage bag behind a house. Haynes wasn’t caught until May 23, 2016. All three remained locked up from arrest onward. The fourth suspect was turned over to state authorities for prosecution.

White pleaded guilty on January 25, 2017, to one count of armed bank robbery. His criminal record stretches back more than three decades, loaded with 10 prior convictions — including multiple robberies. In 1982, he shot a man in the stomach and arm during a fight over stolen gold chains. This history weighed heavily in sentencing. Haynes was later sentenced to 90 months; Bookert got about 16 months, time served.

The case was investigated by the West Haven, Hamden, and New Haven Police Departments, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King prosecuted. White now faces nearly 16 years behind bars — a long stretch for a man who, by his own past, should have known better.

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