Allen E. Piner Jr. Gets 18 Years for Armed Bank Heists

Allen E. Piner, Jr., 46, of Wallace, North Carolina, is headed to federal prison for 18 years after being sentenced for two armed bank robberies in Virginia. The violent spree, which ended in a shooting and high-speed pursuit, exposed the raw danger tellers and civilians face when armed robbers strike financial institutions.

On September 1, 2017, Piner stormed into the Citizens Bank & Trust in Chester, Virginia, brandishing a firearm and demanding cash from two terrified tellers. With guns pointed at their heads, the employees handed over $5,000. Piner fled the scene without immediate police contact, vanishing with the stolen cash and leaving behind a trail of fear.

Less than six weeks later, on October 11, 2017, Piner returned—this time at the Argent Federal Credit Union in Midlothian. He walked in, pointed a loaded firearm at a teller, and demanded money. The teller, acting quickly under pressure, complied—but slipped currency embedded with a GPS tracker into the bundle. Within minutes, law enforcement had a live location on Piner’s escape vehicle.

Police set up a roadblock near the bank. When Piner refused to stop, a short car chase erupted. He abandoned his car, scaled a fence, and turned toward pursuing Chesterfield County officers—gun drawn. A police officer fired one shot, striking Piner to stop the threat. Officers immediately administered first aid, saving his life. The firearm, $5,000, and the GPS tracker were recovered at the scene.

The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Department of Justice’s flagship initiative targeting violent offenders. PSN leverages federal, state, and local partnerships to dismantle criminal networks and deter future violence through targeted enforcement and community intervention. Piner’s swift takedown and prosecution exemplify the program’s operational reach.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s Richmond Field Office through the Central Virginia Violent Crimes Task Force, with critical support from the Chesterfield Police Department. U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger and FBI Special Agent in Charge David W. Archey announced the sentence following the plea’s acceptance by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter S. Duffey and David V. Harbach II handled the prosecution. Court records are available under Case No. 3:18-cr-15 in the Eastern District of Virginia.