John Edward Stevens, a 63-year-old Brooklyn man once listed among the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted, is going away for 20 years after robbing a TD Bank in Oakland, New Jersey. The armed heist, carried out April 15, 2013, ended in a swift takedown just 20 minutes later when police pulled over a stolen vehicle with Stevens behind the wheel — and a bag stuffed with bank cash at his side.
Stevens pleaded guilty to Count Two of a federal indictment charging him with armed bank robbery. U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi handed down the 240-month sentence today in federal court in Newark. The judge also ordered Stevens to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term, a stipulation that may ring hollow given his long history of violent crime.
Inside the TD Bank that Monday morning, Stevens walked in carrying a zipper pouch. He opened it, pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun, and brandished it at a bank employee. With the threat clear, he demanded cash — and walked out with several thousand dollars. Witnesses froze. Alarms sounded. And the clock started ticking on his capture.
Police responded fast. A stolen vehicle matching the suspect’s description was stopped nearby. Inside: John Edward Stevens. In the car: a TD Bank bag filled with the stolen money. No struggle. No shootout. Just the cold reality of a career criminal caught one crime too many.
Stevens isn’t new to armed bank robbery. Court records show at least eight prior convictions for similar crimes in the Central District of California and the Southern District of Ohio. His 1988 placement on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List underscores a decades-long pattern of evading justice — until now.
The case was investigated by FBI special agents under Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman credited the FBI, Waldwick Police, Oakland Police, Ho-Ho-Kus Police, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their roles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Wangenheim prosecuted. Stevens was represented by Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Esq., of Verona, New Jersey.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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