Spree nets D.C. men lengthy sentences

According to documents filed in federal court in Alexandria, 23-year-old Amobi Agu and 24-year-old Carlton Coltrane, both of Southeast, would escape from the banks they robbed in a white Dodge Ram with alloy rims.

On Dec. 29, a red-ink dye pack stored among the cash they took from an Alexandria BB&T Bank exploded while they were sitting in the truck.

Later that day, Abu went to Marlboro Heights to get the ink cleaned out of the truck. An employee at the car-cleaning business later informed a District detective.

On Feb. 18, an FBI agent patrolling the area spotted the truck, took down the license plate and was led to the Southeast home where Abu lived with his grandparents.

The next day, while agents were watching Abu’s house, Abu robbed a Bank of America in Woodbridge without Coltrane, stealing $77,998. An hour later, he turned up at the house in a taxi.

Later that day, agents arrested Abu for driving in the District without a license, and he was soon charged with six armed bank robberies between January 2007 and February 2008. Abu turned Coltrane in, saying Coltrane was his accomplice in two of the robberies.

Both men have been convicted. Combined, the two must repay various banks $227,057, with Abu owing the bulk of the tab. Abu was sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison, Coltrane to nearly 12 years.

When the two worked together, it was Coltrane who would push bank employees around, Abu reportedly told investigators. But Abu was known to be violent when he worked alone, too, court documents show.

In his first robbery, which he did solo on Feb. 17, 2007, Abu put a shotgun to a teller’s head at an Alexandria Bank of America. He forced the teller to a back room to get additional cash and made off with $41,633.

On March 10, also working alone, Abu snuck up on an armed security guard, pulled out a firearm and said, “Don’t be stupid, let go of the gun.”