Michael A. Fanelli, Bank Robbery Spree, New Jersey 2015

Camden, NJ – A Gloucester County man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for a bank robbery spree that left a trail of terror in its wake. Michael A. Fanelli, 37, of Deptford, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to six counts of bank robbery in a Camden federal court.

Fanelli was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reneé Marie Bumb for his role in robbing five New Jersey banks and one Pennsylvania bank between June 2015 and September 2015. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Fanelli robbed the following banks during his crime spree: Cornerstone Bank in West Deptford, New Jersey, on June 2, 2015; Fulton Bank in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, on June 5, 2015; Malvern Federal Savings Bank in Concordville, Pennsylvania, on July 22, 2015; Susquehanna Bank in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, on July 28 and August 21, 2015; and National Penn Bank in Florence, New Jersey, on September 24, 2015.

During each robbery, Fanelli used a firearm, which appeared to be real, to demand cash from bank tellers. His final heist ended with him being followed by law enforcement officers to his residence, where he was taken into custody.

U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman credited the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Harpster, with the investigation. He also thanked the West Deptford, Harrison Township, and Florence Township police departments, as well as the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and the Pennsylvania State Police for their assistance.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin C. Danilewitz of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden. Defense counsel was Lisa Lewis, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender.

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