Wossen Assaye, Bank Robbery, Virginia 2015

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Bank Robber Sentenced for Assaults on Guards

Arlington Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charges

Alexandria, VA – Wossen Assaye, 43, of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty to two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, related to his armed assaults on two security guards during an escape from Inova Fairfax Hospital on March 31, 2015.

Assaye was in custody on bank robbery charges when he escaped. According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, beginning in October 2013 and continuing until March 2015, Assaye robbed various banks in Northern Virginia on 11 occasions, including two armed robberies.

After being arrested for his crimes, Assaye escaped from federal custody while at a Virginia hospital for treatment. During the course of his escape, Assaye assaulted a security guard, overpowered her, and took her firearm. He then pointed the firearm at a second guard before pulling the first guard down the hospital hallway at gunpoint and fleeing the hospital.

Assaye was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 28, 2015. He faces a mandatory minimum of 32 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced on October 9, 2015.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Fairfax County Police Department, Alexandria City Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, and the Falls Church City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael E. Rich and William M. Sloan, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Glaser are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:15-cr-115.

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