NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A Newport News man pleaded guilty today to his role in two bank robberies.
“Hudgins is a violent criminal who poses a danger to our communities and those in law enforcement trying to keep us safe," said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His significant criminal history includes grand larceny, hit and run, and now bank robbery. With the assistance of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, we are committed to removing violent criminals like Hudgins from our streets."
According to court documents, Russell Hudgins, 34, and his co-defendant, Roscoe Freeman, 33, conspired to rob two banks in the Tidewater area. On May 16, Hudgins went into Citizens and Farmers Bank in Yorktown wearing a black knit cap, a tattoo sleeve, and a fake brown beard. Hudgins made a verbal demand for money from the teller and stated “You know what time it is. Give me 10s, 20s and large." The total loss to the bank was $1,786.00.
Two days later, Hudgins entered Old Point National Bank in Isle of Wight County wearing a tattoo sleeve and a beard. Hudgins made a verbal demand for all the money in the teller’s drawer and left the bank with $1,629 and a GPS tracker. In both robberies Freeman acted as a getaway driver. Freeman was apprehended by law enforcement after a vehicle pursuit, while Hudgins ran away from the scene and hid from police until he was caught at his residence later that day.
Hudgins was previously convicted in 2007 of armed carjacking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and was on federal supervision at the time of the robberies. Hudgins has also previously been convicted of grand larceny, contempt of court, and hit and run.
Hudgins pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison when sentenced on April 15, 2019. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan M. Cowles is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:18-cr-78.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
