Baltimore, Maryland – Paul Scovronski, age 28, of Wintersville, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to armed bank robbery and to brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with two Maryland bank robberies.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Chief Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; andHoward County State’s Attorney Dario Broccolino.
According to his guilty plea, on March 11, 2016, Scovronski robbed a bank in the 15000 block of Old Frederick Road in Woodbine, Maryland. Scovronski, wearing a mask over his face, sunglasses, a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, and gloves, entered the bank waving a .22 caliber revolver, shouted “this is a robbery,” and ordered the customers and bank managers to get on the ground. Scovronski then demanded the teller give him all the money in the drawer and in the vault. The teller gave Scovronski approximately $17,551. Scovronski placed the money in his sweatshirt and a red shopping bag, then ordered the employees to go to a back room a lay down on the ground before he fled.
Three witnesses, including an off duty Anne Arundel County police officer, saw Scovronski leave the bank still wearing his disguise. The officer and another person followed Scovronski through a field next to the bank. Scovronski saw that he was being followed and began to run, jumping a fence to get away. A large amount of stolen case dropped as Scovronski jumped the fence and began blowing in the wind all over the road. Approximately $8,460 was eventually recovered from the road. Scovronski headed toward a silver four door car parked on the side of the road, still being followed by the officer. The off duty officer drew his weapon and ordered Scovronski to stop. Scovronski pulled out a loaded revolver and pointed it in the air, as he opened the driver side door of the car with this other hand. Scovronski got into the car and drove away.
The off duty officer described the get-away vehicle to investigators and a Maryland State Police Trooper stopped the vehicle, which was traveling west bound on Route 70. The car was subsequently searched and law enforcement recovered: the sweatshirt, gloves, and mask Scovronski word during the robbery, the loaded revolver, and $4,917 in cash, some of which still had the bank bands on it. Scovronski waived his rights and elected to speak with investigators. He admitted that he robbed the bank and identified himself in surveillance photos taken during the robbery.
As part of his plea agreement, Scovronski also admitted that on February 19, 2016, he robbed a bank in the 12000 block of Chestnut Branch Way in Clarksburg, Maryland. In that robbery, Scovronski demanded money from the teller and kept his right hand inside his jacket, implying that he had a weapon. Scovronski stole approximately $8,000.
Scovronski faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison for the armed bank robbery, and a mandatory seven years, consecutive to any other sentence, and up to life in prison for brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis has scheduled sentencing for Scovronski on March 20, 2017, at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Anne Arundel County Police Department, Howard County Police Department, Maryland State Police and Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron S. J. Zelinsky, who is prosecuting the case.