PHILADELPHIA – Justin O’Brien, 33, of Philadelphia, is headed for a long stretch behind bars after being sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison for a brazen spree of armed bank robberies that terrorized the Philadelphia area. U.S. District Court Judge Nitza I. Alejandro-Quinones also handed down a three-year supervised release term and ordered O’Brien to pay $7,244 in restitution to his victims.
The sentencing stems from a December 2019 guilty plea to the March 12, 2019, armed robbery of a Firstrust Bank on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr, PA, where he made off with $1,260. But the feds weren’t buying just that single heist. O’Brien also admitted to using a dangerous weapon – a pellet gun – during the commission of the crime. This opened the floodgates to a litany of additional robberies.
As part of the plea deal, O’Brien confessed to five other bank robberies. The tally includes the October 29, 2018, hit on a Tompkins VIST Bank on Verree Road in Philadelphia ($1,880 loss); the November 9, 2018, robbery of an M&T Bank on Frankford Avenue ($451); the March 1, 2019, Firstrust Bank robbery on Krewstown Road ($975); the March 8, 2019, robbery of another Tompkins VIST Bank on West Lancaster Avenue in Radnor Township ($600); and finally, the March 18, 2019, robbery of a PNC Bank on Market Street ($2,078). Each incident left telltale signs of fear and disruption.
“O’Brien’s bank robbery spree terrorized innocent employees and showed a contempt for the law,” thundered U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain. “But federal crime means federal time, and now O’Brien has earned a long stint behind bars. My Office’s anti-violence public awareness campaign warns against the serious consequences of committing violent crime in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.”
Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, added, “Thanks to the hard work of the Philadelphia FBI and its local partners, Justin O’Brien will no longer be in a position to terrorize the community. While today’s sentence cannot undo the harm O’Brien caused his victims, it sends a message that if you commit a violent crime, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to bring you to justice.”
The case was investigated by a multi-agency task force including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lower Merion Township Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Radnor Township Police Department. It’s part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through coordinated law enforcement efforts. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski prosecuted the case. This sends a clear message: robbing banks in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania will land you a lengthy federal sentence.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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