Minneapolis - Today, a Princeton, Minnesota, man was federally indicted for bank robbery
and attempted bank robbery. Daniel Steven Atchison, age 25, was charged with one count of bank
robbery for the May 19, 2007, robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank in Maple Grove, Minnesota, and one
count of attempted bank robbery for the June 20, 2007, attempted robbery of Fidelity Bank in Edina,
Minnesota.
The indictment and accompanying court documents describes how Atchison developed an elaborate plan to rob a Maple Grove branch of Wells Fargo Bank. On May 19, 2007, he allegedly bought a floral arrangement from a Maple Grove flower shop and asked that the arrangement be delivered to the bank with a package and a note he had provided. He then allegedly arranged for a town car from a local car service to drive to the bank.
At approximately noon, the floral arrangement was delivered to the bank manager, as requested. At the same time, Atchison allegedly called the car service and ascertained that the car was only minutes from the bank. The car driver then was allegedly instructed that Atchison’s mother, a bank employee, would provide the driver with a package of clothing for delivery to him.
Consequently, when the town car reached the bank, the driver pulled into the parking lot and waited.
Next, Atchison allegedly called the bank manager and told her to open the floral arrangement.
Inside, the manager found a device she believed was a bomb. Court documents indicate that
Atchison told the manager that the package was indeed a bomb; that the bank was being robbed; and
that she was to fill the empty garbage bag located inside the package with $40,000. Afterwards, she
was to take the bag full of money to the town car driver waiting in the parking lot.
The bank manager followed the instructions given her, and the town car driver then was allegedly informed by Atichson, over the phone, to take the bag to a nearby church, where he would pick it up. After some subsequent confusion, Atichson arrived and took the bag.
As for the attempted robbery of Fidelity Bank of Edina on June 20, 2007, Atchison allegedly telephoned the bank manager around noon. The indictment and accompanying court documents indicate he told the manager to locate and open a package that had just been sent to the bank. While the manager opened the package, Atchison allegedly informed her there was a cell phone and a bomb inside. According to court documents, Atchison then called the bank manager on the cell phone and instructed her to follow his directions and refrain from calling the police. The manager, however, directed another employee to call authorities and evacuate the building. Upon witnessing the evacuation, Atchison hung up the phone.
As a result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atchison was later identified as the person who robbed the Wells Fargo Bank of Maple Grove on May 19, 2007, as well as the person who attempted to rob Fidelity Bank of Edina on June 20, 2007.
If convicted, Atchison faces a maximum potential penalty of twenty years in federal prison on each of the two charges. Any sentence, however, will be determined by a judge.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle E. Jones.
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An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by the defendant. The defendant, however, is presume innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial. |