Luzerne County man sentenced for bank robberies

Julia Priest
·2 min read
Luzerne County man sentenced for bank robberies

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Thursday that a Wilkes-Barre man was sentenced to seven years in prison for multiple bank robberies that took place in 2023.

30-year-old Damen Drakeford was sentenced on March 7 by United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley to 84 months in prison.

Drakeford entered a guilty plea previously and admitted to committing four bank robberies, two in Pennsylvania and two in New Jersey, in July 2023, according to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam.

According to the release, Drakeford admitted to robbing the following banks.

  • Fulton Bank, Netcong, New Jersey, on July 7, 2023

  • Provident Bank, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, on July 11, 2023

  • Fidelity Bank, Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, on July 11, 2023

  • M&T Bank, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 2023

In total, the United States Attorney’s Office said $32,988 was taken in the robberies.

Following the M&T Bank robbery, Drakeford was apprehended by the Stroud Area Regional Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) after a high-speed vehicle chase that ended in a crash.

Drakeford was then arrested by authorities in the nearby woods.

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The charges against Drakeford were a result of an investigation from the Stroud Area Regional Police Department, PSP, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Safe Streets Task Force, according to the release.

The New Jersey State Police and members of the Fair Lawn and Netcong Police Departments also helped in the investigation and Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O`Hara prosecuted the case, the United States Attorney’s Office explained.

The case, according to the release, is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and their communities to lower gun violence and violent crime and make neighborhoods safe.

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