Julianne E. Murray, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Joshua Lewis, 37, of Newark, Delaware, was sentenced last week to 84 months in prison for robbing two Delaware banks and possessing ammunition as a person with previous felony convictions. Judge Gregory Williams of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware pronounced the sentence.
On February 10, 2023, at approximately 2:10 p.m., Lewis entered the Artisans’ Bank located at 4901 Kirkwood Highway, approached the two desk tellers, a 28-year-old woman, and a 30-year-old woman, and demanded money. He implied that he had a gun, and the two tellers complied and surrendered cash. Lewis then fled from the bank to an unknown destination. Troopers attempted to locate the suspect but were unable to do so. No one was injured during the robbery.
Lewis was also identified as the suspect in a bank robbery in the Dover area. Officials said on February 15, 2023, at approximately 1:54 p.m. Dover Police received a call for a robbery at Shore United Bank located at 800 South Governors Avenue Dover. During the investigation, police learned that Lewis entered the bank with a bag and an unknown object wrapped inside and demanded money said police. The employee turned over what was an undisclosed amount of money, and he fled.
According to court documents, Lewis robbed the banks in Wilmington and Dover, stealing over $6,000 between the two incidents. When law enforcement officers later approached him at his home, Lewis attempted to flee but was apprehended. In the car Lewis was driving, officers found a loaded, unserialized privately manufactured firearm, or “ghost gun,” and additional rounds of 9mm ammunition.
U.S. Attorney Murray stated, “Mr. Lewis’s brazen robberies instilled fear in his victims and served only to undermine the security of our financial system. His possession of ammunition within an untraceable gun—despite multiple prior felony convictions, only added to the danger he posed to society. This sentence reinforces the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to protecting the public and keeping guns out of the hands of people who fail to follow the law.”
“Considering this offender’s felony criminal history, he should have never been in the position to start robbing banks. But that is a discussion for another day.” said Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson. “Bottom line – this is another example of great collaboration between local, state and federal law enforcement partners working together to stop dangerous people from posing a threat to innocent people. Rock solid investigative work that is buoyed by Federal prosecution almost always leads to the best long-term results for public safety. Hats off to everyone involved in the case.”
“Multiple bank employees, who were simply doing their jobs, must now deal with the pain and trauma inflicted on them by Joshua Lewis. He threatened violence without regard for who he hurt and how,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno. “May this sentence be a reminder that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will do all we can to protect the safety and security of our communities while holding violent offenders accountable.”
This case was investigated by the Delaware State Police Troop 2 Robbery Unit, Dover Police Department, and the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan C. Williamson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli H. Klein prosecuted the case.
