A bank robber who held a hunting knife to the throats of tellers and customers at four San Francisco banks in March and April has pleaded guilty in federal court to six criminal charges.
Jason Dunlap, 32, of New York City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco on Tuesday to four counts of armed bank robbery, one count of unarmed bank robbery at a fifth bank, and one count of interstate transportation of a stolen car.
Dunlap was arrested in the stolen car, which he used as a getaway vehicle in the heists, about three hours after the final robbery at Borel Private Trust and Bank on April 28.
According to the plea agreement, Dunlap first robbed a Citibank branch at 1801 Van Ness Ave. on March 22. He gave a teller a threatening note and walked out with $405.
Dunlap began using a large hunting knife in the second robbery at East West Bank at 743 Washington St. on March 24. He admitted to putting the knife to the neck of the customer standing in front of him while demanding money from a teller, who gave him $2,742.
Dunlap next struck at a Wells Fargo branch at 1160 Grant Ave. on April 2. He said in the plea agreement that he put his arm around a customer’s neck, held the blade to the man’s neck and told the teller, “Give me hundreds!” He exited with $2,759.
Dunlap also robbed a City National Bank branch at 150 California St. of $1,739 on April 5. He admitted he held his knife to the neck of an elderly female customer while instructing a teller, “I need the money! Give me hundreds!”
In the final robbery, on April 28, Dunlap jumped over the teller counter at Borel Private Trust and Bank at 433 California St., according to the plea agreement.
He held one teller hostage with his knife while demanding money from another teller. The second teller gave him some bills, and Dunlap scooped more currency out of a teller drawer, leaving with a total of $3,100.
He was arrested later that day in a stolen Chevrolet Monte Carlo in a parking space on Eddy Street near Van Ness Avenue.
Dunlap admitted in the plea agreement that he bought the car from a woman in New York for $300 and knew that it was a stolen vehicle.
An FBI affidavit filed in the case said that after giving up his right to have a lawyer present, Dunlap admitted to investigators that he had robbed the Borel bank and said, “It went down for a parole thing and I was on the run.”
Dunlap, who remains in custody, will be sentenced by Alsup on Oct. 5. The six crimes each carry potential sentences of up to 10, 20 or 25 years in prison, but the judge will consider federal sentencing guidelines before determining the penalty.
The plea agreement provides that Dunlap will be considered a career criminal for sentencing purposes.
He was previously convicted of a 1999 carjacking in New York, a 2003 bank robbery in Arizona, and two 2004 armed bank robberies in New York, according to the plea agreement.
