Wilkes-Barre man pleads guilty to four bank robberies in Pa., N.J.
A Wilkes-Barre man has pled guilty to robbing four banks, including M&T Bank in Stroud Township.
Damen Drakeford, 30, also pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion on Tuesday, Nov. 21, to federal bank robbery charges for robbing Fulton Bank in Netcong, New Jersey, Provident Bank in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and Fidelity Bank in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania.
Drakeford took a total of $32,988 in the July 2023 robberies, according to a news release from the. U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Drakeford was caught on July 14 after the M&T robbery. He crashed his vehicle on the Interstate 80 West ramp at Exit 302 while fleeing Stroud Area Regional Police officers and was apprehended after short foot pursuit.
The Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI, the Fair Lawn and Netcong police departments and the New Jersey State Police were also involved in the investigation.
Drakeford faces up to 20 years in prison for each robbery.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: M&T Bank robbery: Man pleads guilty to 4 July robberies
