An Arlington man previously convicted of a pair of bank robberies in Alexandria is facing more jail time.
Budder Khan, now 29, pleaded guilty today to robbing two pawn shops in Falls Church, federal prosecutors announced. Khan could face decades in prison for the pawn shop robberies, which took place in 2014 and 2015.
Khan was dubbed the “Ball Cap Bandit” due to the hats he wore during a series of local bank robberies in 2016.
More from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia:
An Arlington man pleaded guilty today to robbing two Falls Church pawn shops of nearly $800,000 in jewelry and watches.
According to court documents, in July 2014, Budder Khan, 29, entered Route 50 Gold and Jewelry Exchange, forced the store’s employees to the ground using what appeared to be a real firearm, smashed the business’s glass display cases and took jewelry and watches worth over $650,000. Later, in April 2015, Khan entered Top Pawn, again used what appeared to be a real firearm to frighten the store’s employees, smashed the business’s glass display cases and stole jewelry and watches worth over $143,000.
Khan pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison when sentenced on December 6. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI WFO’s Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force which is composed of Special Agents of the FBI, along with Detectives from the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, the Arlington County Police, the Alexandria City Police, the Leesburg Police, Vienna Police Department, Herndon Police Department, Fairfax City Police, Falls Church Police Department, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and in partnership with the ATF, USMS, HSI, and other federal agencies. This task force focuses on investigating the most egregious and violent criminal enterprises and actors operating in the Capital Region.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard is prosecuting the case.
Flickr photo by Joe Gratz
Arlington County Police arrested a suspect who allegedly tried to rob a bank in Crystal City this morning.
Around 11:30 a.m., the suspect walked into the BB&T branch at the corner of 23rd Street S. and S. Eads Street and “passed a note to the teller demanding money,” according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
“The suspect fled the scene without any money and was located by responding officers and taken into police custody,” Savage said.
Additional details, including the suspect’s name, were not immediately available.
Map via Google Maps
Federal investigators now believe a serial bank robber dubbed the “Beltway Bank Bandit” was responsible for the attempted robbery of the Columbia Pike Capital One branch Monday.
The FBI’s Washington office is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the man’s capture, up from $5,000, and investigators believe he’s now been involved in 20 robberies across Virginia, Maryland and D.C. over the last year or so.
County police believe a man walked into the Capital One bank at 3532 Columbia Pike around 2:15 p.m. Monday, brandishing a gun and passing a teller a note demanding money. However, he fled the scene before he could get any cash.
Police released surveillance photos yesterday (Thursday) of the man wearing a mask and hard hat, which the FBI believes is consistent with the “Bank Bandit’s” previous robberies. Investigators say he’s passed a threatening note to tellers in each of his robberies, and has “worn different disguises such as a baseball cap, wig, gloves, hijab or hoodie to alter his appearance,” according to a news release.
The FBI believes the man has previously robbed banks in Alexandria, Falls Church and Centreville, but this is the first incident he’s been involved in Arlington.
Investigators describe him as a black man in 20s or 30s, standing between 5’7″ and 6’2″, weighing between 160 and 170 pounds.
The FBI is asking anyone with more information to call 202-278-2000 or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
The #FBI has doubled the #reward to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of the "Beltway Bank Bandit." Have info? Submit a tip at https://t.co/t8G7LO4hxu #Wanted https://t.co/AZwvolZekC pic.twitter.com/YJKxTr7WeH
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) February 15, 2019
Arlington County Police are on scene of a reported bank robbery on Columbia Pike.
The robbery happened around 2:15 p.m. Initial reports suggest that a masked man armed with a gun passed a note to a teller inside the Capital One Bank branch at 3532 Columbia Pike. Afterward he fled on foot.
The suspect is described as a black male between 5’9″ and 5’10” in height. He was reportedly wearing a yellow construction helmet and vest, a blue surgical mask, black sunglasses, a black hoodie and black pants.
No injuries were reported.
The bank branch is set to close this spring.
Update at 2:45 p.m. on 4/8/18 — Christopher Lee Hicks has been arrested thanks to a tip, police announced today.
Arlington County Police located the bank robbery suspect following a citizen tip to the Emergency Communication Center. Christopher Lee Hicks was taken into custody in the 500 block of W. Broad Street in the City of Falls Church with the assistance of the City of Falls Church Police Department. He is charged with one count of Robbery and is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond.
Earlier: Arlington County Police have identified a suspect in the December robbery of a Wells Fargo bank in Westover.
Police are looking for Christopher Lee Hicks, who they say is the man seen in surveillance photos of the robbery.
More from ACPD:
The Arlington County Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance locating a suspected wanted for robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank located at 1701 N. McKinley Road on December 22, 2017. Christopher Lee Hicks, 42, of No Fixed Address is wanted in Arlington County on one count of Robbery. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Christopher Lee Hicks should contact Detective C. Riccio at 703.228.4180 or [email protected]. If seen, please call 9-1-1 immediately.
The man suspected of robbing the TD Bank in Clarendon last week is now in police custody.
Police say 33-year-old Jason Walker was arrested by Metro Transit Police at the Columbia Heights station in D.C. He’s accused of robbing the bank last Friday while unarmed and, reportedly, without implying that he was armed.
More from an Arlington County Police Department press release:
A bank robbery suspect wanted in Arlington County has been taken into custody by the Metro Transit Police Department. Jason Walker, 33, of no fixed address, was arrested during the evening of January 10, 2018, at the Columbia Heights Metro Station. Walker has been charged with strong-arm robbery of a business and is currently being held pending extradition to the Commonwealth.
On Friday, January 5, 2018, at approximately 10:55 a.m., a male suspect entered the TD Bank located at 3101 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia and passed the teller a note, demanding money. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect exited the bank and fled the area on foot.
“Our detectives were able to identify this suspect in a timely manner as a direct result of our outstanding relationship and the ability to share resources with our partners at Metro Transit Police Department,” comments Daniel J. Murray, Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations Division for Arlington County Police Department.
(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) Arlington County Police are investigating a bank robbery that happened in Clarendon this morning.
Police were called to the TD Bank on the 3100 block of Wilson Blvd, just across from the Clarendon Metro, around 11 a.m.
A man entered the bank, passed a note to a teller and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. The suspect did not display or imply a weapon. He remains at large.
ACPD issued the following press release Friday afternoon.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a bank robbery suspect captured on surveillance footage.
On Friday, January 5, 2018, at approximately 10:55 a.m., a male suspect entered the TD Bank located at 3101 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia and passed the teller a note, demanding money. No weapon was shown or implied. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect exited the bank and fled the area on foot.
The suspect is described as a black male in his mid-20’s, 5’8″ tall, weighing approximately 150lbs with a thin build. He was wearing a gray hoodie, a red knit hat and gray Nike sneakers at the time of the incident.
The Arlington County Police Department requests that anyone with information regarding this incident contact Detective R. Munizza at 703.228.4171 or [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).
The Arlington County Police Department is seeking information on a man suspected for robbing a bank in Westover last month.
Police said the man entered a branch of Wells Fargo at 1701 N. McKinley Road just before 3:30 p.m. on December 22 and handed the teller a note demanding money. He then fled on foot after the teller complied.
Police said the suspect is a white male, aged between 40 and 50 years old, approximately between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-6 tall. He was wearing a gray winter hat, dark red coat and blue jeans at the time of the incident.
More from an ACPD press release:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a bank robbery suspect captured on surveillance footage.
On Friday, December 22, 2017, at approximately 3:22 p.m., a male suspect entered the Wells Fargo Bank located at 1701 N. McKinley Road in Arlington, Virginia and passed the teller a note, demanding money. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect exited the bank and fled on foot heading towards Washington Boulevard.
The suspect is described as a white male, 40-50 years old, approximately 5’3″ – 5’6″ tall. He was wearing a gray winter hat, dark red coat and blue jeans at the time of the incident.
The Arlington County Police Department requests that anyone with information regarding this incident contact Detective C. Riccio at 703.228.4180 or [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).
Photos via Arlington County Police Department
(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) The Wells Fargo bank in the Westover neighborhood was robbed Friday afternoon.
A man robbed the bank by passing a note to a teller shortly before 3:30 p.m., we hear. Arlington County Police are currently on the scene investigating. No injuries were reported.
The suspect is described as a white male between 40-50 years of age. He was wearing a light-colored vest and blue pants at the time of the robbery, and fled the bank in the direction of Washington Blvd carry a bag full of cash, according to initial reports.
(Updated on 12/23/21 at 11:20 p.m.) Arlington County Police have arrested a man suspected of robbing a bank in Ballston last month.
Someone dressed in a winter coat and sunglasses walked into the Navy Federal Credit Union at 875 N. Randolph Street on Feb. 10 and passed a note to a teller before running off with an “undisclosed amount of cash,” police said.
ACPD — wit the help of the FBI, the Alexandria Police Department, Falls Church City Police Department, Fairfax City Police Department, Fairfax County Police Department and the Prince William County Police Department — arrested 32-year-old [name redacted] in connection with the robbery yesterday around 5 p.m.
Authorities believe [redacted] may have also robbed a Navy Federal in Potomac Yard and then dumped some of the loot on S. Glebe Road in Arlington the same week. Alexandria police have not yet charged [redacted] with a crime, however.
From an ACPD press release:
The Arlington County Police Department has arrested and charged a suspect for his involvement in a bank robbery at the Navy Federal Credit Union located at 875 N. Randolph Street. [Redacted], 32, of No Fixed Address was arrested at approximately 5:02 p.m. on February 28, 2017 as he returned to a residence in the 700 block of S. Monroe Street.
[redacted] has been charged with bank robbery and is being held on no bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
On Friday, February 10, 2017, at approximately 11:40 a.m., a male subject entered the Navy Federal Credit Union located at 875 N. Randolph Street in Arlington, Virginia and passed the teller a note, demanding money. The suspect fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect did not imply or display a weapon.
The suspect was apprehended with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alexandria Police Department, Falls Church City Police Department, Fairfax City Police Department, Fairfax County Police Department and the Prince William County Police Department.
Restaurants Closed for ‘Day Without Immigrants’ — A number of restaurants in Arlington will be closed for the pro-immigration “Day Without Immigrants” strike. Among the expected closures: Jaleo, Busboys and Poets, Pupatella, Capitol City Brewing, Circa and Sweetgreen. [Washingtonian, Twitter, Facebook]
New Photos of Bank Robbery Suspect — The Arlington County Police Department has released additional photos of the suspect in last Friday’s Navy Federal Credit Union bank robbery in Ballston. [Twitter]
Arlington Rapist Charged in D.C. Case — Ronald Berton, who was convicted of raping a woman in Lyon Village in 2010, “has been charged with kidnapping and raping a woman in Northwest Washington in 2007, according to police and court documents.” Berton is only serving 10 years in prison for his Arlington rape conviction, after the initial conviction was overturned and he was retried for the crime. [Washington Post]
Resolution Commending Wardian — A joint resolution in the Virginia General Assembly commends superhuman Arlington marathoner Michael Wardian for his World Marathon Challenge record, which he set last month. [Virginia Legislative Information System]
Facilities Committee Goes on a Ride — Last Saturday morning, Arlington officials and the county’s Joint Facilities Advisory Committee boarded an ART bus and went on a tour of sites that “could help the County Government and Arlington Public Schools resolve pressing capital facilities needs.” [Arlington County]
Nearby: More Potomac Paddling — “The National Park Service said it plans to expand public access for kayaking and rowing on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia’s Georgetown neighborhood,” according to the Associated Press. “The agency said in a statement this week it has approved a plan for the phased development of 42,000 square feet of facilities near the confluence of Rock Creek, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.” [WTOP]
Flickr pool photo by Jeff Sonderman
