Towamencin man sent to prison for robbing banks in Abington, Philadelphia

NORRISTOWN » A Towamencin Township man was sent to state prison after he admitted to robbing two banks in Abington and Philadelphia within a month of each other and making off with more than $8,000 during the holdups.

Moliere Junior Joseph, 23, of the 1100 block of Snyder Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 2 to 4 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to two felony counts of robbery in connection with incidents that occurred between January and February of 2022.

Judge Virgil B. Walker, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Joseph to complete two years’ probation following parole, meaning Joseph will be under court supervision for six years.

Joseph also is responsible for paying a total of $8,268 in restitution in connection with the robberies.

The investigation began about 1:31 p.m. Jan. 24 when a robbery was reported at the First Trust Bank located in the 9300 block of Krewstown Road, Philadelphia. Witnesses reported that a man entered the bank and approached two tellers and presented a deposit slip and a demand note, each containing threatening words.

The deposit slip read, “DO NOT HIT THE ALARM” and a second demand note read, “KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM. DON’T HIT THE

ALARM I WILL KNOW ASAP! EMPTY YOUR DRAWERS AND SAFE YOU HAVE 30 SEC! I AM WATCHING CLOSELY AND I HAVE A GUN,” according to the criminal complaint.

The man, who wore a ski mask during the incident, then stated to the tellers, “Don’t touch any alarms, make any sudden movement. Keep hands where I can see