A pair of Bronx cousins charged with bank robbery after Wednesday's hold up at a Yonkers bank are suspects in bank robberies in Rockland County and were planning to hit at least three more banks in New Jersey over the coming weeks, according to law enforcement officials.
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said the arrests of Michael Johnson, 35, and Andre Johnson, 29, stemmed from an investigation that started in Rockland County after bank robberies in in 2011 and . Zugibe said multiple warrants had been obtained so police could listen in on communications involving the Johnsons and GPS tracking devices were being used to follow their movements.
The investigation launched by police in and led to involvement by the and the . Zugibe said evidence gathered by the investigation and Wednesday's arrests by State Police has been turned over to the FBI for the prosecution of the Johnson cousins.
"This was a very successful operation which started out in Rockland," Zugibe said. "This is a telling tale of the need for our intelligence center."
State Police said their Special Investigations Unit based in White Plains arrested Michael Johnson Wednesday morning as he was leaving his home. Proceeds from Wednesday's robbery of a Key Bank branch in Yonkers were recovered, police said.
Andre Johnson was arrested Wednesday afternoon in New York City. Zugibe said Andre Johnson works for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission and had recently returned to work after being out on disability.
Zugibe said the cousins planned to hit the Chase bank branch in Fair Lawn, NJ, as part of a robbery spree in the Garden State.
