Giddins Gets 17+ Years for Baltimore Bank Heists

BALTIMORE, MD – Master Giddins, 26, of Baltimore, is facing over 17 years behind bars after a federal jury convicted him of orchestrating a string of brazen bank robberies across Baltimore and Baltimore County. U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. handed down a 210-month prison sentence today, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered Giddins to pay restitution totaling $10,099. The sentence comes after a four-day trial that laid bare Giddins’ calculated criminal enterprise.

The evidence presented at trial revealed Giddins’ first strike on September 25, 2013, at the M&T Bank on West Baltimore Street. Witnesses described a bizarre scene: Giddins, disguised in women’s clothing and a long black wig, approached a teller with a handwritten note claiming he possessed a bomb. He demanded cash, instructing the teller to place it in a distinctive black and white polka dot cosmetic bag – a bag that would become a recurring motif in the subsequent heists. A GPS tracking device was discreetly slipped into the bag by bank staff, but Giddins discarded it during his getaway, driven by a female accomplice.

Giddins didn’t stop there. The following day, September 26th, he allegedly provided his vehicle to two female co-conspirators to rob the 1st Mariner Bank in Owings Mills, netting them $3,100. The modus operandi was chillingly similar: a bomb threat note, the same polka dot cosmetic bag, and the same female driver. Prosecutors successfully argued that Giddins profited directly from the stolen funds, split between himself and the two women. The pattern continued on September 27th, this time targeting the Baltimore County Savings Bank on Eastern Avenue.

This time, Giddins’ crew expanded to three women. The same driver ferried the robbers to the bank, where two entered wearing wigs and brandishing identical bomb threat notes. They made off with cash, but not before triggering dye packs as they fled. One pack exploded inside the car, and the women frantically tossed it, along with the wigs and other evidence, out the window. Police quickly apprehended the women, recovering crucial evidence linking them – and ultimately, Giddins – to the robberies.

In a brazen attempt to cover his tracks, Giddins went to Baltimore County Police headquarters to reclaim his impounded vehicle. He was questioned about the September 25th robbery and provided a false alibi, claiming he was at a meeting with his probation officer and then at work. Testimony revealed his claims were demonstrably false, further cementing the case against him. Judge Quarles deemed Giddins a “career offender” due to prior convictions for first-degree assault, a firearms violation, and federal arson, significantly impacting the length of his sentence.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein, alongside representatives from the FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and Baltimore County Police Department. Rosenstein commended the collaborative effort of the agencies involved and specifically thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. David Copperthite and Debra L. Dwyer for their prosecution of the case. This conviction sends a clear message: those who prey on financial institutions and endanger the public will face severe consequences.