FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 5, 2020

Suspect Had Fled to Philadelphia After the Robberies

            WASHINGTON – Micheal Antonio Smith, 32, of Washington, D.C. has been arrested and charged via criminal complaint with robbing three different Wells Fargo Bank branches on Tuesday, September 29, 2020.

            The charges were announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, Robert E. Bornstein, acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Smith robbed the Wells Fargo Bank located at 3200 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. at approximately 12:18 p.m. At approximately 12:59 p.m., Smith then robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 609 H Street N.E. Finally, at 2:23 p.m., Smith robbed the Wells Fargo Bank located at 1934 14th Street N.W. Smith was captured on surveillance video in all three banks, and also captured outside a bank after he had removed his hood and mask. Overall, Smith received more than $1,500 from the three robberies.

            FBI agents, with assistance from MPD officers and detectives, were able to identify Smith and track his movements on September 29, 2020, and thereafter. Agents confirmed that Smith had fled Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia after the last robbery and, on October 3, 2020, Smith was arrested in Philadelphia with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department. Smith will be transported back to Washington, D.C. by the United States Marshals Service to face trial.

            “This investigation is a perfect example of the necessary synergy between law enforcement organizations,” noted Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin. “Through good policing and coordinated efforts, law enforcement was able to remove a dangerous person from the streets.”  Special Agent in Charge Bornstein further stated “Those intending to rob banks should take heed that the FBI and its local task force partners to include MPD, will take swift actions to identify, seek and arrest those responsible for these acts” said Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “This arrest is one of the many examples of the ways the FBI and our partners on the DC Violent Crime Task Force work together to swiftly take violent criminals off the streets before they act again.”

            A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 

            This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force which is composed of FBI Special Agents, along with task force officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, the United States Capitol Police, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, and the DHS Federal Protective Service.  The task force is charged with identifying, investigating and removing the most egregious actors engaged in violent crimes within the District of Columbia. Investigative assistance in this matter was provided by the FBI – Philadelphia Field Office. 

            In announcing the charges, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin, acting Special Agent in Charge Bornstein, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those involved in the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys James B. Nelson and Jeffrey Poulin of the Federal Major Crimes Section, and Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias.