Feds Say Men Stole $550,000 During String of Upstate New York CU Robberies

Five men robbed more than $550,000 during a string of armed credit union robberies over two years, and attempted or planned to rob at least five other credit unions throughout upstate New York, federal officials said.

According to a superseding indictment filed by federal prosecutors in Buffalo, N.Y., earlier this month, Myron McCollum, 33, and Ronald Morris, 46, both of Buffalo, have been charged with multiple felony counts of aggravated bank robbery, larceny, conspiracy to commit bank robbery, and possessing and brandishing a firearm during three credit union robberies. Another co-conspirator, Adrian Applewhite, was also named in the superseding indictment but was not charged. He pleaded guilty earlier for his role in two of the three robberies and is awaiting sentencing.

On Feb. 27, 2019, Morris and Applewhite, armed with a firearm, walked into the $43.5 million Tonawanda Community Federal Credit Union in Tonawanda and stole nearly $112,000 from the vault and teller drawers.

On July 25, 2019, Applewhite drove Morris and McCollum to the $18.7 million South Towns Community Federal Credit Union in Lackawanna. Allegedly armed with pepper spray and at least one firearm, Morris and McCollum entered the credit union, pushed and pepper sprayed employees and stole more than $290,000 from the credit union’s vault and teller drawers.

On Nov. 7, 2019, Applewhite, Morris and McCollum robbed almost $149,000 from teller drawers and the vault at the $33.2 million Clarence Community & Schools Federal Credit Union in Clarence. The day before, they attempted to rob the $79 million Good Neighbors Credit Union in Depew.

Federal prosecutors also said that in February 2020, Applewhite, Morris and McCollum were planning to rob the $11.8 million Rediform Federal Credit Union and the $252 million Niagara’s Choice Federal Credit Union, both in Niagara Falls, as well as the $67 million Riverside Credit Union in Kenmore. And in late February 2020, they were also looking to rob Tonawanda Community again.

Court documents also showed other plans were in the works to rob unnamed financial institutions in Rochester and Bradford, Pa.

On June 11, federal prosecutors also charged Anthony D. Wilson, 33, of Buffalo, with conspiracy to commit bank robbery, aggravated bank robbery, brandishing a firearm and larceny in connection to the October 2017 robbery of the $21 million Lake Shore Federal Credit Union in Angola. Applewhite and Khalil Holland participated in the robbery, according to prosecutors. Although Holland allegedly entered the credit union wearing a medical mask and demanded money while brandishing a firearm, federal prosecutors did not explain why Holland was not charged with any crimes.

Court documents did not show how much money, if any, was stolen from Lake Shore.

While federal prosecutors did not say why the robbers seemed to only target credit unions, all but one of them are small asset financial cooperatives.