A former armored car driver faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to charges that he helped his friends steal nearly $600,000 from his work vehicle.
Bennie Hugh Pelham, 35, of Oxon Hill, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Friday. He admitted that he told his friends, Gary Lane Jr. and Edward Mayor, that he drove alone on weekends and that his car’s driver-side door didn’t work properly.
On July 5, 2008, Pelham parked the armored car in the lot at the Westfield Wheaton shopping center in Wheaton. He left bags of cash in the front seat. When he went inside to restock an automated teller machine, Lane broke into the car and made off with $588,000, Pelham said.
When Pelham returned to the car, he called police and claimed he was surprised by the theft. But a few hours later, he and Mayo met up to discuss the best way of hiding the money. They had a fourth friend, Damon Pritchett, bury two bags of money in two places in Temple Hills. Lane stashed a third bag in his closet.
Pelham was the last of the conspirators to plead guilty. Mayo has already been sentenced to 14 months in prison; Lane and Pritchett will be sentenced in May and June, respectively.
Pelham also faces a fine of up to $250,000. He’s scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. Judge Alexander Williams on July 20.
