LANSING, Mich. — Six men have been arrested in connection with
The arrests by Lansing police follow eight robberies and one attempted robbery between Sept. 9 and Dec. 11, in which Astera CU, Case CU, and Lake Trust CU in Lansing, Genisys CU in Marysville, and Community Choice CU in Livonia were robbed, some of them twice.
On Dec. 11 a surveillance team initiated a traffic stop by Michigan State Police, and an affidavit alleges the six men were wearing make-up consistent with what witnesses saw at prior robberies. It is believed that the six men may have been on their way to rob DFCU Financial in Lansing.
The six men — Angelo George Mitchell, Allante Williams, Terrell Reese, James Steen, Defonta Howard and Jonathan Daffin — have been charged in federal court with conspiracy to rob a credit union, a crime punishable by as much as five years behind bars.
The Michigan CU League and Affiliates orchestrated a reward fund of as much as $10,000, but the offer was not used in the investigation.
Ken Ross, COO and EVP of MCUL and Affiliates praised the response from CUs in the region and the local police.
"We've had very good feedback from several credit union CEOs thanking us for the efforts in organizing the pledges and working with the Lansing Police Department, even though [the reward] wasn't actually utilized this go around," he said in a statement on MCUL's website. "The Lansing police were very thankful for our efforts to make a reward available if the investigation stalled."
The U.S. Attorney's office expects the case to be presented to a federal grand jury for possible incitement in the coming weeks.
