Freddie Lee McRae, Armed Robbery, Virginia 2019

Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery Spree

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Freddie Lee McRae, a 35-year-old man from Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 21 years in prison for a series of armed robberies that he conducted at multiple banks and a retail store in northern Virginia in 2018 and 2019.

McRae committed the robberies in 2018 and 2019, including robbing a Wells Fargo bank branch located in Alexandria on November 13, 2018. During the robbery, McRae handed a teller a note that demanded money, indicated he had a firearm, and threatened to “kill all bankers” if the teller did not comply. McRae pointed a firearm at two tellers before fleeing with approximately $8,750 in cash.

On December 10, 2018, McRae robbed a Burke & Herbert bank branch located in Alexandria. McRae approached a teller, who asked if he wanted to make a deposit. McRae responded, “gimmie your money,” before lifting up his shirt and pulling a pistol from his waistband, which he pointed at the teller. As the teller gathered money, McRae racked the slide on the pistol and demanded all large bills. McRae fled with approximately $1,366 in cash.

Additionally, McRae robbed the Legend Kicks & Apparel store located in Arlington on April 21, 2019. McRae brandished a pistol and demanded that two store employees empty their pockets, which they did. McRae then ordered the employees to lie on the floor before taking approximately $2,160 in cash that belonged to the store.

As part of his guilty plea, McRae also admitted to robbing a Bank of America branch in Springfield on October 27, 2018; a BB&T branch located in Alexandria on December 20, 2018; and a Capital One branch located in Bowie, Maryland, on January 2, 2019. McRae further admitted to attempting to rob a Capital One branch located in Arlington on February 11, 2019, and to obstructing justice following his apprehension.

The bank robberies that McRae admitted to committing were investigated by the FBI as part of the “Beltway Bank Bandit” series.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Acting Chief Andy Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police; Michael L. Brown, Alexandria Chief of Police; and David M. Rohrer, Fairfax County Interim Chief of Police and Deputy County Executive for Public Safety, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.