Robber gets 17 years for 2019 bank heists
ALBANY — A 30-year-old Rensselaer man was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to serve 17 years in federal prison for two 2019 armed bank robberies in Albany and North Greenbush that netted more than $167,000 for the two stickup men.
Ulysses Jessie Walls, known as “Guwala,” previously pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery, firearms and conspiracy charges, authorities said. Walls admitted to committing the bank robberies with Christopher Cohn, known as “Wolf,” who was previously sentenced in the case.
Cohn was previously sentenced to 20 years and one month in prison by Senior U. S. District Court Judge Lawrence E. Kahn for the two robberies after firing a gun from which a bullet grazed a bank employee. He pleaded guilty in 2020.
On Feb. 6, 2019, the duo entered an Albany Trustco Bank branch on New Scotland Avenue, wearing ski masks with Walls carrying a gun, authorities said. They stole about $150,000 that was turned over by bank employees who were threatened with being killed, authorities said.
On Feb. 26, 2019, he and Cohn entered an M&T Bank branch in North Greenbush, again wearing ski masks. This time, Cohn showed a gun and fired it several times, authorities said. They made off with $17,111.
Police tracked them to an Albany motel by using a GPS device that was placed in the stolen money. They were arrested.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Mae A. D’agostino also ordered Walls to serve a 5-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release, to pay $167,681 in restitution to his victims, and to forfeit $79,117.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the Albany Field Office of the FBI; Dominick L. Chiumento, acting superintendent of the New York State Police; Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins; and Town of North Greenbush Police Chief David Keevern.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the State Police, the North Greenbush Police Department and the Albany Police Department, with the assistance of the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal and Ashlyn Miranda prosecuted the case.