PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Eugene Johnson, 54, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison, and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Gerald A. McHugh for committing an armed bank robbery in North Philadelphia.
In January 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges including armed bank robbery and using, carrying and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges arose from an incident in February 2021, when Johnson entered the Citizens Bank branch at Germantown Avenue and Broad Street in the Nicetown section of the city armed with a loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun and stood in line to wait for a teller. When the defendant approached the victim teller, he placed two $20 bills in the teller window tray and stated, “I need change, I need ones,” and the teller handed Johnson forty $1.00 dollar bills. Johnson then shoved a plastic bag through the teller window slot and stated, “Give me everything, give me everything, give me everything!,” and “I got a gun,” while putting his right hand down by his right hip. The teller, fearing for her life, filled the bag with money and gave it to the defendant. Johnson then walked away from the teller counter and entered the vestibule at the front entrance of the bank, while the teller activated the bank’s alarm system. Upon activation, Johnson became trapped in the man-trap security system doors and was locked inside. The defendant then fired several rounds from his semi-automatic handgun into the glass door of the front entrance in an effort to escape before he was arrested by a responding officer.
“This defendant terrified and threatened the lives of bank employees who were just attempting to do their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “And when he became detained in the bank’s security system, he lashed out and recklessly fired his weapon – an action which could have resulted in injuries or death. This case demonstrates why our All Hands On Deck initiative is so important: we are investigating and prosecuting the most dangerous criminals to get them off the streets and behind bars.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney José R. Arteaga.