Source: United States Department of Justice News
Defendant Threatened Bank Tellers with Bomb
WASHINGTON – A Superior Court jury, today, found Mark Stubblefield, 65, of Washington, D.C., guilty on all counts for robbing and threatening to blow up a branch of the Truist Bank, located at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. The verdicts were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Stubblefield was found guilty of one count of robbery while armed and one count of felony threats. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 17, 2023.
According to evidence presented at trial, shortly after 2:35 p.m., on October 20, 2022, the defendant disguised himself and walked into the Truist Bank, located at 1369 Connecticut Avenue, NW. He threatened to blow up the bank tellers, putting them in fear for their lives, and demanded a large amount of cash. Around two minutes later, he left the bank with $10,000 in cash. He walked south on Connecticut Avenue, before getting on a Metrobus and donning a D.C. Department of Transportation uniform. The defendant evaded police and escaped that day.
The government presented surveillance footage from nearby business and the Metrobus. The Metrobus surveillance clearly captured the defendant’s face, which the FBI and Metropolitan Police Department used to find witnesses who identified the bank robber. The government also presented DNA evidence linking the defendant to the crime.
In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the officers and detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department who investigated the case, as well as members of the prosecution team. They thanked the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Laboratory for providing valuable assistance. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including: Special Agent Sean Ricardi, Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Litigation Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce, and Paralegal Specialists Debra McPherson and Antoinette Sakamsa, with valuable assistance from AUSAs Paul Courtney and Jessica Ans.
Finally, they recognized Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos A. Valdivia and Alec Levy who prosecuted the case.