A former business executive has pleaded guilty to robbing two Washington area banks earlier this year.
Bruce W. Higgins, 34, was fired from his job as vice president of business development at a Fairfax County consulting company in 2007, the company’s chief executive officer told The Examiner.
According to documents filed in the District’s federal court, Higgins was a frequent customer at a SunTrust Bank at 410 Rhode Island Ave. NE., which made it easy for bank employees to identify Higgins after he robbed it Feb. 24.
At about 10:30 a.m. that day, Higgins entered the bank in the same dark-colored suit he had worn two weeks earlier as a customer, documents said.
But this time, he handed a teller a note that read, “‘HAND ME $ NOW 20 $ QUICK GUN IN SUIT POCKET KEEP QUIET OR YOUR (sic) DEAD,” Higgins admitted. He then put his right hand in his pocket, making the teller believe he was reaching for a weapon. Higgins left the bank with $1,065 in his pocket.
Four days later, Higgins struck another SunTrust Bank, this one at 901 North Glebe Road in Arlington, he admitted. He passed a note to the teller that read, “GUN IN COAT HAND ME 20$ OR YOU HURT.”
According to Higgins’ guilty plea, he then told the teller, “Give me the money. I have a gun. I’ll shoot you,” and then placed his right hand in his jacket, gesturing as though he were reaching for gun. The teller handed Higgins $2,099.
He was arrested March 3 after police received a tip from a citizen who saw Higgins’ picture in news reports.
As part of his plea, Higgins admitted to possessing a dangerous weapon during the robberies. That act could add years to his prison sentence when it’s handed down in October. Higgins is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
