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Vasquez to Spend 492 Months
in Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Utah, Nevada Bank Robberies, Firearms Charges
SALT LAKE CITY—Andre Mark Vasquez, age 65, of Salt Lake City, who pleaded guilty in May to multiple bank robberies in Utah and Nevada and several firearms charges, will spend 492 months in federal prison without the possibility of parole. U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball issued the sentence late Tuesday afternoon.
Vasquez pleaded guilty to two counts of armed bank robbery, two counts of brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, two counts of bank robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following investigations by the FBI and several local police departments.
As a part of a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors, Vasquez admitted to a Nov. 9, 2007, robbery of Weststar Credit Union in Las Vegas. Vasquez admitted making a hoax bomb threat to take approximately $100,000 from the vault of the credit union.
He admitted to a May 7, 2008, robbery of Chase Bank at 5656 South Redwood Road in Taylorsville. During that robbery, according to the plea agreement, Vasquez brandished a firearm, made a bomb threat, and demanded money from a bank employee. He left the bank with about $2,000.
Vasquez also admitted to a May 23, 2008, robbery of TransWest Credit Union located at 10692 South State Street in Sandy. Vasquez said that as a distraction, he called police and reported seeing an armed person entering a local high school. He brandished a firearm as he was robbing the credit union and left with $13,100, according to the plea agreement.
Vasquez also pleaded guilty to a Dec. 19, 2008, robbery of Beehive Credit Union located at 10404 South Redwood Road in South Jordan. Using a black bag with a nine volt battery hooked to green and red lights with an antenna protruding from the bag, Vasquez told tellers the device was a bomb and demanded money. He took $39,666 from tellers at the credit union.
Vasquez was arrested following the Dec. 19, 2008, robbery. According to a complaint filed in the case, two customers followed Vasquez as he left the credit union and held him until police arrived.
Vasquez’ sentence includes a seven-year minimum mandatory sentence for brandishing a firearm during the May 2008 robbery at Chase Bank and a stacking (consecutive) 25-year minimum mandatory sentence for brandishing a firearm during the May credit union robbery for a total of 32 years in federal prison.
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