A man from Velda Village Hills, Missouri, has been sentenced to 107 months in federal prison for a series of bank robberies in the St. Louis area. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence on Thursday to Derrick Snulligan, 62, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to five counts of bank robbery.
According to court documents, Snulligan targeted a Northwoods bank twice in 2023 by handing notes demanding money to tellers while wearing a mask. He attempted a third robbery at the same location but was unsuccessful after an alarm was triggered and he was told to leave.
Snulligan’s tactics escalated on June 24, 2024, when he gave a Hazelwood credit union employee a note with specific cash demands and threats if instructions were not followed. The note stated: “I[f] you don’t want to get hurt, go in your drawer and give me 6-one hundred dollar bills, 4-fifty dollar bills, 10-ten dollar bills, and 20-5 dollar bills as quickly as possible,” according to his plea agreement. The teller complied and Snulligan fled with the cash.
Three days later, Snulligan robbed two more credit unions in St. Louis and Florissant using similar threatening notes demanding large sums of money. After these incidents, authorities traced his escape vehicle—a blue Buick Encore—to him. Investigators recovered some stolen money from Snulligan; he repaid the remaining funds prior to sentencing.
“Derrick Snulligan terrorized bank employees who feared for their lives,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Today’s sentence delivers justice for the trauma he caused.”
Snulligan also goes by Derrick Jackson and admitted guilt in March before U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
The case involved investigations by multiple agencies including the FBI, Florissant Police Department, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and Northwoods Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together law enforcement agencies and community organizations to address violent crime through trust-building efforts and focused enforcement strategies (https://www.justice.gov/psn).
