Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Maryland man has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for robbing two convenience stores in Iowa and laundering the proceeds. Andrew Philip Derr, 23, from Fredrick, Maryland, was sentenced on November 14, 2025, after pleading guilty on June 24, 2025.
According to court documents and a plea agreement, Derr admitted that he moved to Iowa City after being discharged from the military for misconduct in 2023. He then carried out a series of robberies in the Cedar Rapids area. On December 27, 2023, Derr robbed the Casey’s General Store in Robins and took over $7,000 in cash and merchandise. Days later, on January 1, 2024, he robbed the Kum & Go store on Four Oaks Drive in Cedar Rapids. Derr had already been convicted and sentenced in state court for robbing the Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust branch on Council Street on January 3, 2024; during that incident he stole more than $16,000.
After each robbery, Derr laundered money by making several deposits into his Maryland bank account to conceal its origin. On January 3, 2024—the same day as the bank robbery—he flew to Maryland and deposited over $4,800 of stolen funds.
When authorities attempted to arrest him at his apartment in Iowa City, they found a note reading: “Catch me if you can.” Derr eventually surrendered to law enforcement at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana on January 12, 2024.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Derr to a term of imprisonment of 34 months and 29 days. This sentence will run concurrently with his remaining state prison sentence for bank robbery. The court also ordered him to pay restitution: $7,359.89 to Casey’s General Store; $308.20 to Kum & Go; and $16,705 to Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust. After serving his prison time he must complete three years of supervised release; there is no parole available under federal law.
Derr is currently held by the United States Marshals Service until he is returned to Iowa’s prison system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert. It was investigated by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Robins Police Department, Linn County Attorney’s Office, University of Iowa Police Department and Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.
