Gregory A. Jones, 61, of Newark, New Jersey, is locked up for 20 years after terrorizing the same Capital One Bank twice in a six-month rampage that ended with gunfire echoing off the vault walls. Convicted on one count of bank robbery, one count of armed bank robbery, and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence, Jones stood mute as U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty slammed the door on his freedom in federal court in Newark.
The first heist hit on May 6, 2014. Jones, cloaked in dark glasses and a scarf wrapped around his head like a fugitive from a B-movie, walked in cold and handed a note to the teller demanding cash. He got what he wanted. But as he bolted, a dye pack exploded in his loot, painting his escape in bright red ink. Left behind: his glasses, hat, and scarf — all soaked in dye and laced with his DNA. A match pulled from a lawful sample confirmed it was him.
He came back. On September 19, 2014, Jones returned to the same branch, sweatshirt bunched around his waist, a firearm drawn and pointed toward the ceiling. He told a teller he had a gun and would shoot. Then he proved it — firing a single round into the overhead tiles before grabbing several thousand dollars and vanishing into the streets of Newark. Surveillance caught his face. Witnesses ID’d his voice. There was no hiding this time.
The investigation that followed was a full-court press by federal and local forces. The FBI, under Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher, led the charge, working elbow-to-elbow with the N.J. State Police (Col. Patrick J. Callahan), the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (Acting Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino), and the Newark Division of Public Safety (Director Anthony Ambrose). Every piece of evidence stitched tighter around Jones’ neck.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Shapiro, standing for the government, laid out the case with cold precision. Jones wasn’t some desperate man down on his luck — he was a repeat offender who returned to the scene, weapon in hand, to test fate a second time. The jury didn’t blink. After a one-week trial, they handed down a verdict that left no room for appeal: guilty on all counts.
Jones now begins a 20-year federal sentence, time that won’t erase the fear he left behind in that bank lobby. Represented by Assistant Federal Defenders Carol Gillen and David Holman, Jones maintained his silence at sentencing. But the evidence spoke loud enough. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito called the sentence a message: “Rob a bank once, you’ll pay. Come back with a gun, and the system will bury you.”
Related Federal Cases
- Steven Wisnowski Gets 10 Years for 8 Bank Heists · New Jersey
- Luis Castaneda Admits to 5 Bank Heists, 1 Attempt · New Jersey
- John Edward Stevens Gets 20 Years for NJ Bank Heist · New Jersey
- Quentin Morales Admits to Six New Jersey Bank Heists · New Jersey
- Patrick O’Boyle Gets 46 Months for Jersey City Bank Robbery · New Jersey
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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