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Charles Rodriguez, 58, and Joseph Rodriguez, 57, were re-sentenced to 30 years in prison for committing two armed bank robberies and conspiring to rob an armored car, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The brothers were initially convicted in 1999 after a six-week jury trial on conspiracy, carjacking, multiple armed robberies, and gun charges. Both were sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, Mar. 30, 2000.
A federal appeals judge re-sentenced the brothers after dismissing one count due to changes to an underlying law. Judge Claire Cecchi upheld the remaining charges and issued the new sentence.
Prosecutors said the brothers and two accomplices stormed into a Corestates Bank branch in Woodlynne on Saturday, July 19, 1997. They were armed with rifles and a handgun while wearing masks and body armor.
The robbers threatened to kill civilians, struck multiple victims with rifles, and stole $64,039. They abandoned their stolen getaway car in a parking lot, set it on fire, and switched vehicles.
Less than a year later, the Rodriguezes targeted a Commerce Bank in Moorestown on Saturday, May 23, 1998. Armed and dressed in tactical gear, they shot out the glass entrance, fired shots into the ceiling, and threatened bank employees and customers.
After stealing $15,373, they escaped in a stolen car, which stalled. They then carjacked a bank employee at gunpoint before switching to another vehicle.
The brothers’ final attempt happened in Cherry Hill on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998. They and an accomplice, Jose Soto, planned to rob an armored car at the Walt Whitman rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike.
The trio wore tactical gear and carried machine guns with about 1,000 rounds of ammunition. In an undercover sting operation, about 90 FBI agents and state troopers were able to stop the robbery, The New York Times reported.
While Soto was acquitted of the bank robberies, he served roughly 289 months for his role in the attempted armored car heist.
Soto was sentenced to time served in November 2022.
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