Baltimore Felon Pleads Guilty To Armed Robbery Of Bank, Convenience Store
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore felon pleaded guilty Tuesday to two armed robberies.
Benjamin Fowlkes, 35, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a convenience store and the armed robbery of a bank.
According to his plea agreement, on Nov. 26, 2018, Fowlkes robbed a convenience store in the 2700 block of West Franklin Street in Baltimore.
Fowlkes ordered the store employees to open the cash register and give him cash while he displayed what turned out to be an air gun.
The next day, Fowlkes robbed a bank located in the 3600 block of Boston Street in Baltimore.
Fowlkes entered the bank and asked to open an account. He was directed to a customer service employee in another part of the bank.
Fowlkes pulled a yellow folder, asked for a pen, and wrote a note demanding money. The employee advised him that there was no money in the customer service area.
Fowlkes took the note back, said that he had a gun, and drew what turned out to be an air gun. He told the employee, who was on crutches, to get up slowly.
The victim employee complied and walked to the teller area of the bank, where two other employees were working, to get the money Fowlkes demanded.
In the teller's area, Fowlkes again displayed the air gun and demanded money, and one of the tellers' car keys. One employee handed over the keys to his car — a Hyundai Sonata — and another employee handed Fowlkes the cash from the teller drawers. Fowlkes then escaped in the stolen Hyundai Sonata.
Fowlkes was arrested on November 29, 2018, after a Baltimore Police Officer in the southwestern district determined that the tags on a Hyundai Sonata driven by Fowlkes had been stolen.
When Fowlkes was pulled over, he was wearing the same zip-up hoodie worn during the robberies, and he had $2,021 in cash on him.
As part of his plea agreement, Fowlkes will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims' losses.
Fowlkes and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Fowlkes will be sentenced to between 120 months and 235 months in federal prison.
The sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 1, 2019.
