SCRANTON -The United States Attorney=s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dorian Whitehead, age 31, of Binghamton, New York, was sentenced on January 5, 2017, by United States District Court Judge James M. Munley, to 51 months’ imprisonment for aiding and abetting two armed bank robberies. Judge Munley also ordered Whitehead to pay $169,099 in restitution.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Whitehead pleaded guilty on March 30, 2016, to aiding and abetting co-defendants Jule Futrell, age 44, of Endicott, New York, Jemel Laquan King, age 40, and Jeremy West, age 41, both of Binghamton, New York, in committing the following armed bank robberies:
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First National Community Bank (FNCB), Jenkins Township, Pennsylvania, on March 13, 2014; and
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NBT Bank, Keyser Avenue, Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 26, 2014.
Whitehead aided and abetted West and Futrell in the commission of the FNCB robbery and Futrell and King in the commission of the NBT Bank robbery. Whitehead’s role in both bank robberies was the monitoring of police channels via a cell phone application while she remained in her home in New York. She maintained voice contact with Futrell, present inside of both banks, by using a second cell phone and an ear piece worn by Futrell during the commission of the robberies. Whitehead’s job was to alert codefendants of alarms or police notifications during the progress of the robberies to enable them to flee the scene.
The defendants stole approximately $57,469 in cash from FNCB, and approximately $111,630 in cash from NBT bank.
West was sentenced to serve 126 months’ imprisonment on charges of armed bank robbery, a pharmacy robbery, and use of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. West previously pleaded guilty to committing the armed bank robbery of FNCB and the April 18, 2014, armed robbery of the CVS Pharmacy located in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
King was convicted for his crimes by a federal jury on April 8, 2016, and was sentenced on July 26, 2016, to 157 months’ imprisonment. Futrell pleaded guilty to conspiracy, armed bank robbery, robbery of a pharmacy, and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2017.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Scranton and Binghamton offices. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
