A St. Louis County man has pled guilty to a series of bank robberies spanning from April 2023 to June 2024. Derrick Snulligan, 62, of Velda Village Hills, Missouri, confessed to carrying out five successful heists and one attempted robbery, according to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
In his initial attempts, Snulligan used a simple note to demand money from tellers, targeting a bank in Northwoods on two separate occasions followed by a failed attempt where the teller sounded an alarm. After this incident, the notes became decidedly more aggressive. In one robbery at a Hazelwood credit union, Snulligan's note to the employee insisted, "I[f] you don't want to get hurt, go in your drawer and give me 6-one hundred dollar bills, 4-fifty dollar bills, 10-ten dollar bills, and 20-5 dollar bills as quickly as possible," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Within the same day, Snulligan struck again, with similar robberies at credit unions in St. Louis and Florissant. His note during the Florissant robbery detailed a specific threat and a precise demand: "If you don't want to get shot I suggest you go in your drawer and give me 30 one hundred dollar bill[s], 20 fifty dollar bills, 30, 20 dollar bills and 40, 10 dollar bills as quickly as possible." Snulligan was then seen fleeing in a blue Buick Encore, which eventually led investigators to his identity, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
After his arrest, Snulligan cooperated with authorities and returned some of the stolen money. Known also by the alias Derrick Jackson, he pled guilty to five counts of bank robbery in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, a crime that could see him facing up to 20 years in prison for each count. He is set for sentencing on July 1. This case was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI and local police departments, and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa.
The bank robbery spree overseen by Snulligan falls under the banner of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime. Launched on May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice's strategy emphasizes community trust, preventative support through community organizations, and strategic enforcement priorities to safeguard neighborhoods.
