David Ortiz pleaded guilty on July 27 to conspiracy to commit bank robbery, bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with the gunpoint robbery of a Brinks armored truck transporting money for a Bank of America branch. The plea was entered before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo in federal court in Brooklyn.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Ortiz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment for brandishing a firearm, which will be added to any sentence imposed for the bank robbery charges. Restitution is also expected as part of his sentencing.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr., FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr., and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announced the guilty plea. “The defendant planned and carried out a violent armed robbery in broad daylight, threatening Brinks armored truck employees with a firearm while stealing more than half a million dollars destined for a neighborhood bank,” said Nocella. “This calculated crime may have looked like a scene out of a movie, but it was terrifyingly real, and placed the victims in fear for their lives. Today’s guilty plea ensures that the defendant will face the consequences of his violent actions.”
Barnacle said, “This was a brazen, violent crime that put innocent people in immediate danger. The FBI and NYPD moved quickly to track down David Ortiz to ensure he faced federal charges. Violent robberies have absolutely no place in New York, and we will not hesitate to go after those who threaten our communities. Our work with our partners has led to this guilty plea.” Tisch said, “This defendant planned and executed an armed robbery outside a bank in Queens, threatening employees at gunpoint and stealing more than $500,000 from an armored truck… I thank our investigators and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for working to hold this criminal accountable.”
Court filings show that on June 2 at approximately 8:43 a.m., Ortiz and an accomplice wearing masks ambushed Brinks employees outside Bank of America at 205-02 Linden Boulevard in Queens as they transported cash from an armored truck into the branch. Ortiz brandished his firearm at employees while his accomplice loaded about $542,000 into an unmarked Chevrolet sport utility vehicle before fleeing with both men leaving behind discarded items nearby; police later recovered some evidence but not the stolen cash or Ortiz’s accomplice.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brachah Goykadosh and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Amzallag.