A Maryland man has admitted to additional charges in federal court related to a series of robberies and money laundering activities. Andrew Philip Derr, 22, from Frederick, Maryland, had previously been convicted for robbing the Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust on January 3, 2024. He has now pled guilty to two convenience store robberies and money laundering.
According to a plea agreement, Derr acknowledged that after being discharged from the military for misconduct in 2023, he relocated to Iowa City. There, he carried out several robberies in the Cedar Rapids area. On December 27, 2023, Derr robbed Casey’s General Store in Robins, Iowa, obtaining over $7,000. He also admitted to robbing the Kum & Go store on Four Oaks Drive in Cedar Rapids on January 1, 2024.
Derr was previously sentenced for his involvement in the bank robbery at Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust where he took more than $16,000. After each robbery incident, Derr laundered the stolen funds by making multiple deposits into his Maryland bank account to conceal their origin. On January 3, 2024, he flew back to Maryland and deposited over $4,800 from the robbery proceeds.
When authorities attempted to arrest him at his apartment in Iowa City later that month they found a note saying “Catch me if you can.” Derr eventually surrendered himself on January 12 at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana.
Sentencing will be determined by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams following a presentence report preparation. Derr remains under custody pending sentencing and faces up to 60 years imprisonment along with potential fines totaling $1 million plus three years of supervised release post-imprisonment. He is also required to forfeit all stolen funds from both convenience store robberies as well as laundered money while providing restitution payments towards victims affected by these crimes.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert with investigations conducted collaboratively involving several agencies including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives (ATF), U.S Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force alongside local law enforcement departments such as Cedar Rapids Police Department among others involved across jurisdictions.
