Marine Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery
A Marine Corps sergeant stationed at Camp Pendleton pleaded guilty Monday to robbing a San Clemente bank with a pistol he had checked out from a base guard shack, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Willie Garrett Jr., 26, of Chicago, admitted he checked out the gun and drove to San Clemente, where he entered a Wells Fargo bank with the gun in his waistband and demanded money from the teller, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The teller put about $700 in a bag, and Garrett fled. But he dropped the bag when a dye pack inside exploded, prosecutors said. He was caught about a mile away.
He faces a sentence of up to 25 years and a fine of up to $250,000. He is being held without bail pending sentencing on Jan. 24.
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