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Man sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for multiple armed bank robberies

Posted at 9:24 PM, Oct 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-03 21:24:34-04

NORFOLK, Va. – A Georgia man was sentenced Wednesday to more than 15 years in prison for his involvement in the armed robbery of two banks and one credit union.

Marquis Larosa Buckley

41-year-old Marquis Larosa Buckley of Townsend, Georgia, pleaded guilty in July.

Court documents say Buckley carried out an armed robbery of a Fulton Bank and a PNC Bank, both located in Virginia Beach. Records say he stole $973 from the Fulton Bank and stole $8,404 from the PNC Bank.

During the PNC Bank robbery in October 2017, a teller secreted a GPS device within the money that was handed over to Buckley. The device allowed law enforcement to locate Buckley and his co-conspirator, 35-year-old Austin Lee Howard, as they drove away from the scene.

Howard was sentenced to 15 years in prison on July 24.

Documents say Buckley also conducted an armed robbery of the SPE Federal Credit Union in State College, Pennsylvania, during which he stole $7,177. During the search of each of these robberies, Buckley used a fake bomb in addition to a firearm to enhance his threats and to serve as a diversion for law enforcement while he made his escape.

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