Bank Robber Sentenced to Six Years in Prison

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Rodney Lamont Bell, age 47, of Baltimore, today to six years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for bank robbery, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to his guilty plea, from February 19 through August 7, 2008, Bell committed three bank robberies. In each case Bell entered the bank, placed a bag on the counter and gave the teller a note demanding money and threatening the he had C-4 explosives in the bag and would set them off if the teller did not comply with his request. Specifically, on February 19, 2008, Bell robbed the M&T Bank located at 776 25th Street in Baltimore of $620; on March 6, 2008, Bell robbed the Harbor Bank located at 3240 Belair Road in Baltimore of $2,260; and on August 7, 2008, Bell robbed the Susquehanna Bank located at 6669 Security Boulevard in Woodlawn, Maryland of $3,424. After the August 7th robbery, Bell placed the stolen money in the bag he had on the counter and ran out of the bank. Once Bell was out of the bank, an off-duty Baltimore City police officer observed the dye pack that the teller had hidden in the stolen cash explode from the bag Bell was carrying. Marked police units chased Bell, who was running on foot from the scene and wearing a red-dyed white shirt. Bell was arrested and officers recovered the stolen cash. Digital surveillance images from all three bank robberies clearly identified Bell as the serial robber.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore City Police Department for their investigative work and commended Assistant United States Attorneys Solette A. Magnelli and Rachel M. Yasser, who prosecuted the case.