SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for robbing two credit unions in San Diego County last year.
Akil Saeed Daniels, 41, will serve 110 months behind bars after holding up a California Coast Credit Union in Chula Vista and Mission Federal Credit Union in Poway.
An interesting twist to the crime spree — these robberies occurred just months after Daniels was released from a long stint in prison for robbing the very same Chula Vista credit union more than a decade earlier, said U.S. attorney Randy Grossman’s office.
During the most recent robbery of California Coast, which is located on H Street, officials say Daniels used a demand note. Ironically, the bank teller at that location in 2011, the time of the first robbery, still works for the credit union and was standing beside another teller when Daniels robbed that location for a second time in 2022.
“Employees who have been through a robbery are impacted for the rest of their lives,” said Grossman. “This defendant made the decision to terrorize the same people not once, but twice. And now, not once, but twice, he will pay for his crime with a lengthy prison term.”
Daniels also used a demand note when robbing the Mission Federal Credit Union in Poway. According to the U.S. attorney’s office, the note read: “Hand me all the money, don’t make me get violent” or “Hand me all the money, I don’t want to get violent.”
Daniels was arrested on Oct. 3, 2022, and was indicted for those robberies in November 2022, officials confirmed. The serial bank robber was later convicted by a federal jury following a two-day trial in January 2023.
“This is not the first time that Daniels has had to face the consequences for this type of crime,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “May this 120-month sentence be a reminder of the severity of his actions. Violent crimes such as these in our community are intolerable. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to holding those responsible who choose to rob banks as a means of income.”
