While Millett and Jones waited in the Audi, Futch entered the credit union and handed the teller a note that demanded money. The teller complied.

The next day, Millet and Jones were pulled over by a traffic cop who found bait money on Millett and Jones from the Travis CU robbery. The cop also found a crumpled post-it demand note that read: “Don’t make eye contact. Don’t look suspicious. Don’t push emergency button. Put smile on your face or I will shoot.”

Millett and Jones used social media – primarily Instagram – to recruit accomplices, often women, to act as note-passers. Millett posted photos and videos of herself holding large amounts of cash with captions like “Happy Money Makin Mondays!”

Prosecutors alleged that the pair used a minor in at least one robbery and threatened people they met online to coerce them into participating.
Millett is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26. Jones, who initially pleaded not guilty to bank robbery, conspiracy to commit bank robbery and attempted robbery charges, is expected to change his plea. Futch, who faces charges of bank robbery, conspiracy to commit bank robbery, attempted bank robbery and perjury is also expected to change her initial plea of not guilty. They are both scheduled to appear in court for a change-of-plea hearing on April 17.

Utah Man Accused of Five Credit Union Robberies

His alleged credit union heists began on Oct. 11, 2024 when he robbed the Murray branch of the $20.2 billion Mountain America Federal Credit Union. Less than a week later, Dyches allegedly robbed the West Jordan branch of the $3.4 billion Goldenwest Federal Credit Union.

By Nov. 20, Dyches walked into the Midvale branch of the $840 million Granite Federal Credit Union and allegedly handed the teller a note that read, “This is a robbery, open the drawer, don’t talk to anyone, don’t push the button.” The teller complied.

In December, Dyches allegedly robbed the $21.7 billion America First Federal Credit Union branch located inside a Macey’s grocery store in Murray – then returned in February to rob it again.

By the end of February, Dyches allegedly robbed another America First Credit Union branch inside a Dan’s Foods grocery store in Salt Lake City. After taking the money, he was seen on surveillance video walking to the underground parking lot where he drove away in a black Jeep Cherokee, which led to his arrest on March 4. The vehicle was registered to a family member.

Missouri Man Robs Same Bank Twice, Tries a Third Time

Derrick Snulligan 62, of Velda Village Hills, pleaded guilty to the crimes last week and is expected to be sentenced in July, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis.

On April 18, 2023, he handed a note demanding money to a teller of Simmons First National Bank in Northwoods. He did the same thing at the same bank on Aug. 28. And on Oct. 13, he tried to hold up the same bank a third time, but a teller activated an alarm and told Snulligan to scram.

After being thwarted during that hold up, Snulligan apparently decided to make his notes more threatening during the credit union robberies.
On June 24, 2024, he handed a note to an employee of the Hazelwood branch of the $359 million Alltru Federal Credit Union that read, “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 court documents. The teller complied.

Three days later on June 27, he handed a note to the teller at the $2.5 billion Together Credit Union demanding money. After taking the cash, he fled in a blue vehicle. That same day, he committed a similar robbery at a branch of the $4.5 billion First Community Credit Union. His note read, “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 again fled in a blue vehicle, which was identified as a Buick Encore. Investigators traced the vehicle to the suspect, who admitted committing the robberies and returned some of the money, federal investigators said.

California Crime-Fiction Author Robs Credit Union a Year After Prison Release

While imprisoned for more than 20 years for committing three bank robberies, Sykes wrote at least 10 books known for depicting the harsh complexities of urban life and the characters who struggle with hard challenges and choices.

After 17 years behind federal prison bars for his first bank robbery in 2002, he was released in 2019. In 2020, he was convicted again for robbing two banks and sentenced to five years. Sykes got out in February 2024 under supervised release.

A little more than a year later on March 6, federal investigators alleged the 41-year-old Detroit native handed the Credit Union One teller a note, which, ironically, the teller was unable to read.

“This is a robbery,” Sykes stated, demanding that the teller give him “big bills.” The teller handed Sykes $10,169, according to federal investigators.

Sykes allegedly grabbed the cash, the illegible note, fled the credit union and drove away in a black Mercedes sedan. Six days later on March 12, Sykes walked into the Chase Bank branch in Lathrup and this time handed the teller a legible note that read, “Give me all the money…I have a gun…I will kill everyone here.”

The teller handed Sykes $3,400, which he took and drove away in a white Rolls Royce SUV.

Investigators identified Sykes as a prime suspect because he left his fingerprints on Credit Union One’s entry door. They learned their suspect was on supervised release since February for the 2020 bank robbery conviction, investigators said.

He was arrested on March 18 and remains in federal custody awaiting court proceedings.

Sykes first books, “Going All Out” and “Going All Out II,” were published in 2011. He then wrote seven additional novels from 2012 to 2022. His publisher Carl Weber of Urban Books noted Sykes’ books drew modest sales with each title selling up to 2,500 copies, The Detroit News reported.

His most recent book, “Born to Die,” is scheduled for release in May, according to Amazon. The book is about a group of childhood friends who fight to survive and are willing to do anything to make it out of the hood.

Peter Strozniak can be reached at [email protected].