NEW YORK, N.Y. – Federal prosecutors announced Friday that a 34-year-old Manhattan man has been indicted for allegedly carrying out a series of robberies and attempted robberies at six banks across the borough over a three-month span last year.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Cornell Neilly is accused of robbing or attempting to rob banks in multiple neighborhoods between August and October 2025, including Chelsea, the West Village, and the area north of Madison Square Park. Prosecutors say Neilly passed notes to tellers demanding cash, successfully obtaining thousands of dollars from three banks where employees complied.
Neilly, who is already in federal custody for allegedly violating the conditions of a prior supervised release, is expected to be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.
“As alleged, Cornell Neilly robbed or attempted to rob six banks in multiple neighborhoods across Manhattan,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Hardworking New Yorkers, including the tellers and customers at these six banks, deserve to go to work without worrying that they will become victim to this type of brazen conduct.”
FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Vanessa Tibbits described the series of robberies as “a bank employee’s worst nightmare,” adding that the FBI and its law enforcement partners remain committed to “disrupting any serial criminal targeting our city’s financial institutions.”
Neilly faces three counts of bank robbery and three counts of attempted bank robbery, each carrying a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the New York City Police Department, with the case being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Violent Organizations & Crime Unit.
A Manhattan man was indicted in a federal case accusing him of robbing or attempting to rob six banks across the city during a three-month spree.
