A Missouri man admitted in federal court that he robbed five banks and attempted a sixth in the St. Louis region over the course of a year. Derrick Snulligan, 62, pleaded guilty last Thursday in US District Court in St. Louis.
According to court documents, Snulligan started his crime spree on April 18, 2023, when he entered a bank in Northwoods wearing a mask and handed the teller a note demanding money. On August 28, 2023, he returned to the same bank and repeated the process, handing a demand note while wearing a mask.
On October 13, Snulligan made a third effort at the same Northwoods location, but this time the cashier activated a security alarm and ordered him to leave. He departed the scene with no money.
After that failed attempt, detectives believe Snulligan changed his strategy, making his notes more aggressive. On June 24, 2024, he approached a teller at a credit union in Hazelwood and passed a note saying, “If you would rather not get hurt, go in your drawer and give me 6 hundred-dollar bills, 4 fifty-dollar bills, 10 ten-dollar bills, and 20 five-dollar bills as soon as possible.” The teller agreed, handed over the money, and Snulligan escaped.
Three days later, on June 27, he struck twice more. He first struck at a credit union in St. Louis, and later that day, he struck at a facility in Florissant. In both cases, he gave the tellers papers containing explicit instructions and threats of violence. After each crime, authorities spotted him fleeing in a blue vehicle, later identified as a Buick Encore.
The investigators were able to trace the vehicle back to Snulligan. Upon his capture, he admitted to all five robberies and one attempted robbery. He also returned some of the stolen cash. Authorities revealed that he occasionally went by another name, Derrick Jackson.
Snulligan has pled guilty to five charges of bank robbery. A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison is imposed for each charge. The court will sentence him on July 1.
The FBI investigated the case in collaboration with local law enforcement authorities, such as the Florissant Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Northwoods Police Department. The prosecution is being conducted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul D’Agrosa.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national project that promotes collaboration between law enforcement and community members to reduce violent crime and improve public safety.