Joel Robbins, Bank Robbery, New Jersey 2017

Bergen County Man Guilty in Bank Heists

Newark, N.J. – Joel Robbins, 47, of Oradell, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to multiple bank robberies and Hobbs Act robberies in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Robbins admitted to robbing four banks, a liquor store, and a gas station between June 2017 and December 2017. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to an information charging him with four counts of bank robbery and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Robbins robbed the following locations:

• Chase Bank, Whippany, June 6, 2017
• Santander Bank, Parsippany, July 20, 2017
• The Liquor Factory, Hopatcong, October 15, 2017
• Chase Bank, Edgewater, October 25, 2017
• Raceway Gas Station, Pinebrook, November 26, 2017
• TD Bank, Mahwah, December 3, 2017

During the TD Bank robbery, Robbins wore a disguise and used a fake black handgun to intimidate bank tellers. His accomplice, Wanda Soel, 52, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, allegedly waited for Robbins in a Toyota Corolla parked outside the bank.

Robbins faces a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of bank robbery and Hobbs Act robbery. U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the FBI and local police departments for their contributions to the case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark. Defense counsel for Robbins is Perry Primavera Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey.

Robbins’s accomplice, Wanda Soel, is charged with bank robbery and her case is pending.

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