OBSERVER Staff Report
BUFFALO - A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to robbing a bank in Jamestown and another in North Carolina.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced Monday that Philip A. Purdue, 33, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny, to bank robbery. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Moscati, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant robbed two banks in October and November of 2010. On Oct. 5, 2010, he and a female accomplice robbed the Jamestown Savings Bank in Jamestown. During the robbery, Purdue brandished what appeared to be a firearm to the teller. On Nov. 22, 2010, the defendant and a male accomplice robbed the Fidelity Bank in Kings Mountain, N.C. During that robbery, Purdue pointed a firearm at the teller.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota and the Kings Mountain, North Carolina Police Department, under the direction of Chief Melvin Proctor.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 7 at 9 a.m., before Judge Skretny.
