“Clyde” in Bonnie & Clyde Duo Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank Robbery

DETROIT – A Waterford man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Detroit to bank robbery and weapons offenses, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Defendant David Johnson, 54, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III.  According to court records, in June 2018, Johnson and an accomplice walked into the Dearborn Federal Savings Bank at 4111 Telegraph Road and announced a robbery. Johnson’s accomplice pointed a short-barreled shotgun at the tellers as Johnson demanded money. The two men were unable to access the teller area and left the bank empty-handed. The men fled the scene in a car driven by Johnson’s wife and co-defendant, who was waiting nearby. Johnson’s wife then took the two men to the Citizens Bank at 23455 Eureka Road in Taylor, where Johnson and his accomplice walked in with the shotgun and announced a robbery. More than $4,000 was stolen from the Taylor bank, but the money was immediately thrown from the getaway car’s window after red dye packs placed in the bags by tellers exploded while they were driving down Eureka Road. After her arrest, Johnson’s wife told authorities the robbery was exciting and compared herself and her spouse to “Bonnie and Clyde.”

Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the bank robbery offense and not less than 10 years’ imprisonment for utilizing a short-barreled shotgun during the robberies.  The sentencing hearing is set for May 4, 2023.

“Armed bank robbery places the lives of bank employees and customers at risk.  We will continue to remove violent actors who endanger public safety from our community,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

“Violent criminals who use guns during bank robberies deprive employees of their right to feel safe and secure in their workplaces,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “Thank you to the Dearborn Heights and Taylor Police Departments for their collaborative efforts during this investigation. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring violent offenders to justice and to make our communities safer places to live and work.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Dearborn Heights Police Department, and Taylor Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara Lanning and Tara Hindelang.