Grand Island man going to prison for aggravated bank robbery

Parents sentenced for accessory after the fact

U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced Timothy L. Mulvey, 35, of Grand Island, who was convicted of aggravated bank robbery, was sentenced to serve 77 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. In addition, Mulvey’s parents, Cheryl, 68, and Lawrence, 69, both of Grand Island, who were convicted of accessory after the fact, were sentenced to time served for their roles in Timothy Mulvey’s bank robberies.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Violanti, who handled the case, stated that, on June 27, 2018,

Mulvey entered the Northwest Savings Bank on Grand Island Boulevard and, wearing a disguise, approached the teller, displayed in his waistband a dangerous weapon that looked like a handgun, and demanded cash. The victim teller passed Mulvey approximately $2,044 in U.S. currency and Mulvey exited the bank. On July 11, 2018, Mulvey entered the M&T Bank on Military Road in Niagara Falls. Wearing a disguise and carrying a bag, Mulvey approached the teller and demanded cash, pulling a dangerous weapon that looked like a black gun halfway out of his bag. The victim teller passed Mulvey approximately $913 in U.S. currency, and Mulvey exited the bank.

At the time of the bank robberies, Mulvey was on New York state parole. After his arrest, he attempted to remotely erase the contents of his cellphone after giving it to law enforcement and consenting to its download. Mulvey also instructed his girlfriend to search in the basement insulation of their shared residence and to take whatever she found and discard it in a Dumpster. The girlfriend found a black gun and took it to Mulvey’s parents’ house, and gave it to Mulvey’s father, co-defendant Lawrence Mulvey. Soon thereafter, that gun, which had been used in the robbery of the M&T Bank on July 11, 2018, was thrown away. In addition, Cheryl Mulvey admitted she intentionally attempted to discredit a potential witness.

The sentencings care the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; and the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent John Faso.