Philadelphia resident Maurice Ray, 34, has been given a 15-year prison sentence following his conviction for conducting two bank robberies within days of each other back in December 2021. The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that Ray was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Juan R. Sánchez. Alongside his prison term, Ray was ordered three years of supervised release, a mandated $200 special assessment, and to make restitution for $2,147 – the sum of money stolen during the heists.

Utilizing demand notes, the defendant targeted a Citizens Bank branch in Philadelphia on December 14, 2021, followed by a hit on a Bank of America branch in Bensalem on December 16, 2021. Law enforcement, which included the combined efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Philadelphia Police Department, and Bensalem Police Department, subsequently apprehended Ray the following day in Philadelphia. Ray's indictment on two counts of bank robbery came in January 2022 and come August 15, 2023, he was convicted by a federal jury on both charges.

The string of robberies isn't a first for Ray, who's been pegged by authorities as a repeat offender. "Maurice Ray is a career offender with a history of robbing banks and businesses," U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero stated. "Two stints in prison have not deterred him. This 15-year sentence will at least keep him off the street and prevent him from claiming any additional victims," she added. Romero emphasized her office's dedication to investigating and prosecuting violent crimes.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert was the prosecuting force in the case, diligently working alongside the Philadelphia and Bensalem Police Departments and the FBI.