Two Washington-area men have been locked up for a bungled two-state bank robbery spree that never netted a single dollar. John King Lionell, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 42 months in federal prison after a jury convicted him in November 2017 on charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery. His accomplice, Steve Jamal Smith, also known as Jabrail Love, 23, of Hyattsville, Md., received the same 42-month sentence on February 2, 2018. Both will serve three years of supervised release upon completion of their prison terms.
The failed heist unfolded on January 26, 2016, when Lionell and Smith walked into a BB&T Bank in the 3100 block of 14th Street NW around 1:50 p.m. Posing as customers, they asked about opening an account and took a brochure handed to them by a bank employee. But the ruse collapsed when Lionell approached a teller, slapped down a handwritten demand note, and ordered the teller not to hit the silent alarm. No money changed hands. Instead, Lionell shouted at Smith: “Hurry up let’s go! Let’s go!” before both fled the scene.
The pair didn’t stop there. They bolted to the nearby Columbia Heights Metro station, boarded a Metrorail train, and rode to Silver Spring, Md. By 2:40 p.m., they had entered a Capital One Bank in the 8600 block of Georgia Avenue. This time, Smith took the lead, flashing a demand note and barking at the teller: “Put your hands up … Don’t put your hands down.” Again, no cash was handed over. The duo exited empty-handed, but not unseen.
Federal investigators quickly zeroed in on the suspects. The BB&T brochure, left behind during the first attempt, became a key piece of evidence. FBI forensic experts lifted Steve Jamal Smith’s fingerprints from the paper. That match gave the FBI a starting point. Agents then used surveillance footage from both banks to identify both Lionell and Smith, with multiple witnesses confirming their presence during the attempted robberies.
The case was a joint operation involving the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Metro Transit Police. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale, MPD Chief Peter Newsham, Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, and Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik all praised the collaborative takedown, citing precise forensic work and inter-agency coordination as pivotal in sealing the convictions.
Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kamilah O. House and Emory V. Cole. Support came from Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias, Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, and Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also acknowledged the FBI Laboratory for its critical forensic analysis. No weapons were discharged, no victims physically harmed—just two men who thought they could rob banks on a Metro pass. Now they’ll have plenty of time to rethink that plan behind bars.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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