ATM conspiracy
Kent Island couple sentenced to prison
A couple from Kent Island who got married during a three-state crime spree last year — stealing ATMs over two months — was sentenced to prison this week, federal authorities said Thursday.
Matthew Dale Bush, 39, and Crystal French, 34, were convicted of conspiracy to commit bank larceny, interstate transportation of stolen vehicles and goods as well as other charges.
Bush was convicted of carrying out the crime spree mostly alone until Oct. 8, 2017, when French allegedly helped him steal two ATMs from gas station convenience stores in Stevensville and Cambridge, during the early morning hours.
In sentencing Matthew Bush Tuesday to nine years during a hearing in Baltimore, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett called his conduct “alarmingly egregious” and said he put the public and police at risk.
On Oct. 14, an alert was set up through the license plate reader system that a vehicle sought in connection with the crimes had crossed the Bay Bridge. Maryland State Police set up “stop sticks,” causing the fleeing car’s tires to deflate, but he crossed into Delaware.
As Bush was being chased, federal author- ities say he sent French text messages that read: “Baby I got three of them on my ass.”
The next day, the couple got married.
Bennett sentenced Crystal French, also known as “Crystal Lynn Bush,” on Wednesday to 20 months in prison for a series of lesser charges, followed by three years of supervised release.
The judge ordered the couple to pay restitution of $10,341.38.
In plea agreements with prosecutors, Bush and French admitted they conspired to break into retail businesses in order to steal ATMs and the money inside, using stolen vehicles as part of the scheme.
In September and October 2017, the couple stole six ATMs that contained over $38,900 and attempted to steal two other ATMs in Stevensville, Chester and Cambridge in Maryland; Kent County and Dover in Delaware; as well as Sterling and Broadlands in Virginia.
Prosecutors said in most cases Bush entered the store wearing a mask, attached a chain or rope to the ATM, and pulled the ATM out of the store through the front glass window. The couple then transported the ATM and its contents to their home in Grasonville, where they hid the proceeds.
Law enforcement obtained a state search warrant for Bush and French’s residence. Four days after the couple wed, police saw Bush and French leave the residence in a green Mercedes.
When Bush and French saw a marked Queen Anne’s County patrol vehicle, they sped away.
During the search, police found tow straps used to pull the ATM machines from the stores; sledgehammers; masks and clothing worn by the robbers seen in surveillance videos at the burglaries; the license plate to one of the stolen pickup trucks, cut into pieces; packaging for “walkie-talkies” used during some of the ATM burglaries; and a van containing several damaged ATM machines.
Police also found French’s cell phone, a loaded 12-gauge shotgun near the bed where Bush slept, and additional shotgun ammunition in the garage. Bush is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous felony convictions.
French was apparently detained and released, and authorities say the newlyweds continued to commit crimes. The indictment says the couple drove a stolen Dodge Dakota pickup truck from White Marsh to Lancaster, Pa., on Oct. 22, and the following day drove a Chevrolet Silverado truck stolen from Lancaster to a High’s store in Harford County, where they donned masks and broke in and stole 86 packs of cigarettes.
They were caught on Oct. 23, after fleeing a bank robbery in Baltimore County and crashing in Baltimore City.
Officers tried to stop a vehicle matching the description near the city line, but the driver fled and crashed into another car in Baltimore.
French was arrested by city and Baltimore County police nearby, while Bush ran into an alley, where he was captured. Police said he briefly resisted arrest.
In the ensuing months, authorities in different jurisdictions filed charges against Bush and French. A federal indictment in April brought all the charges together.
Bush and French spent the proceeds of their robberies on “personal items to include heroin and other illegal narcotics.”