• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds


 










Maine man pleads guilty in armed bank extortions, including at Y-12 Credit Union

Posted at 4:47 pm March 1, 2016
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Brian Witham

Brian Witham

Note: This story was last updated at 5:40 p.m.

A Maine man charged in several armed bank extortion plots, including at Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday, authorities said.

Brian Scott Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, pleaded guilty to the charges contained in a 15-count indictment from December 2015 involving armed bank extortions of the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, SmartBank in Knoxville, and Northeast Community Credit Union in Elizabethton, said Nancy Stallard Harr, acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee. Witham is one of two people charged in the bank extortion scheme.

As part of his plea agreement, Witham agreed to plead guilty to similar charges from three other federal jurisdictions including the Western District of North Carolina, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the District of Connecticut, authorities said. Witham, U.S. attorneys, and a federal judge all agreed to transfer the similar charges to U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee, a press release said. Those charges include being a felon in possession of a firearm in Haywood County, North Carolina; armed robbery of an Ingles in Arden, North Carolina; armed robbery of the Peoples Security Bank and Trust in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania; and attempted armed bank extortion of the Achieve Financial Credit Union in New Britain, Connecticut, authorities said.

Advertisement

Sentencing for Witham is set for August 17 in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that Witham faces a minimum 42-year prison term, but Chief U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan will have the final say and, according to the plea agreement, could impose a life term.

Also named in the 15-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury in December is Michael Anthony Benanti, 43, of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania. Benanti and Witham were accused of kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob the three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton.

Both men were scheduled to be tried in federal court on March 29. They both pleaded not guilty in late January. Each man faces or faced a minimum mandatory sentence of 142 years in prison, if convicted on all 15 federal charges. The charges include bank extortion, attempted bank extortion, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm while committing a crime.

The three financial institutions they targeted were Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge, SmartBank on Advantage Place in Knoxville, and Northeast Community Credit Union on Jason Witten Way in Elizabethton.

Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti

In arraignments for the two men in late January, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Lewen said authorities found, while executing a search warrant, a bag with tools and equipment in the basement of Benanti’s home that included rubber masks, wigs, temporary tattoos, and clothing with FBI and NYPD markings, among other gear.

Lewen said the two men were on their way to South Carolina as part of an alleged plan to target a financial institution there when they were arrested in North Carolina in November. Benanti had surveillance tools and details on banking employees in South Carolina, and he tried to hide a piece of paper related to that when stopped by authorities, Lewen said.

Here are the specific charges included in the December indictment against Benanti and Witham:

  • two counts each of attempted armed bank extortion;
  • one count each of armed bank extortion;
  • three counts each of carjacking, involving a different vehicle in each case;
  • two counts each of brandishing a firearm during an attempted bank extortion;
  • one count each of brandishing a firearm during a bank extortion;
  • three counts each of brandishing a firearm during a carjacking; and
  • three counts each of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Both men were scheduled to be tried in federal court on March 29. They both pleaded not guilty in late January.

Benanti is currently in custody awaiting trial.

Advertisement

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Benanti and Witham were arrested in Buncombe County, North Carolina, by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol—with help from the Maggie Valley Police Department, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office—after a vehicle pursuit on November 25, the day before Thanksgiving.

The first kidnapping and attempted robbery occurred at Y-12 Federal Credit Union earlier in 2015, on April 28. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oak Ridge Police Department all responded.

At about 8:15 a.m. that day, the FBI said, a Y-12 Federal Credit Union employee and his family were kidnapped from their residence in West Knox County and held hostage at gunpoint.

While his wife and son were held hostage, the employee, Y-12 Federal Credit Union President Mark Ziegler, was coerced to attempt to remove money from the financial institution. But no money was taken.

After the robbery, Ziegler’s family members were released unharmed at the Gettysvue Country Club parking lot in Knoxville. The suspects fled and remained at large.

Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a reported kidnapping and attempted robbery at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

On Tuesday, July 7, at approximately 8 a.m., a SmartBank employee and his family were kidnapped from their home on Northshore Drive and held hostage at gunpoint, the FBI said. The employee and his family were taken to the SmartBank. That employees has been identified as Tanner Harris, first vice president and commercial lending officer at SmartBank.

While at the bank, Harris was coerced to remove an undisclosed amount of money, which was provided to the robbers.

Advertisement

Harris was then left at the bank and his wife and the couple’s infant son were released unharmed a short time later at the end of Pipkin Lane in West Knox County. The suspects fled and remained at large.

Northeast Community Credit Union in Elizabethton was targeted in a similar plot on October 21. A bank employee and her juvenile son were targeted in that case.

Many law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation, including the Oak Ridge Police Department, Knoxville Police Department, and Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

You can read the 15-count indictment, which also includes charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, here.

Here is the list of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation:

Tennessee

  • FBI Knoxville Resident Agency, along with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force;
  • Knoxville Police Department;
  • Knox County Sheriff’s Department;
  • Johnson City Police Department;
  • Carter County Police Department;
  • Oak Ridge Police Department; and
  • Elizabethton Police Department.

North Carolina

  • FBI Asheville Resident Agency;
  • North Carolina State Highway Patrol;
  • North Caroline State Bureau of Investigation;
  • Asheville Police Department;
  • Maggie Valley Police Department;
  • Waynesville Police Department;
  • Haywood County Sheriff’s Office; and
  • Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.

Pennsylvania

  • FBI Harrisburg Resident Agency assisted by state and local law enforcement.  Connecticut agencies included: FBI New Haven Resident Agency; Bristol Police Department; New Britain Police Department; Connecticut State Police; Farmington Police Department; and Berlin Police Department.

The following Assistant U.S. attorneys were assigned to represent the United States in their various districts: Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss, District of Connecticut; Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gurganus, Middle District of Pennsylvania; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Gast; Western District of North Carolina. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David P. Lewen Jr. and Steven H. Cook from the Eastern District of Tennessee represent the United States in this combined guilty plea.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Front Page News, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, U.S. Tagged With: armed bank extortion, attempted bank extortion, bank extortion, Brian Scott Witham, carjacking, Dave Lewen, Eastern District of Tennessee, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Mark Ziegler, Michael Anthony Benanti, Nancy Stallard Harr, Northeast Community Credit Union, Oak Ridge Police Department, SmartBank, U.S. Attorney, U.S. District Court, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Advertisements



 

Join the club!

If you haven't already, please consider subscribing to Oak Ridge Today. You don't have to subscribe to read most of our stories, but your subscription does provide benefits, including access to premium content. And it will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can. You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month. You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Police and Fire News

Woman charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing man

Woman charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing man

Stephanie Shinlever An Oak Ridge woman was charged with attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed a man in his abdomen, tricep, and thigh on Utica Circle early Friday morning, according to Anderson County court … [Read More...]

Clinch Avenue needs repairs near bridge after heavy rains

Clinch Avenue needs repairs near bridge after heavy rains

Clinch Avenue in Clinton will require repairs after heavy rains on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, caused the road bed to fail in the northbound lanes just north of the Lewallen Bridge, according to the Clinton Police … [Read More...]

Man taken to hospital after shooting in Andersonville

Man taken to hospital after shooting in Andersonville

A man was taken to a hospital after a shooting in Andersonville on Monday morning, authorities said. The shooting was reported at about 10:08 a.m. Monday on Defoe Road in Andersonville. A man had gunshot wounds on … [Read More...]

Six women arrested for allegedly conspiring to steal shoes in Oak Ridge

Six women arrested for allegedly conspiring to steal shoes in Oak Ridge

Six women were arrested Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, after they allegedly ran from Rack Room Shoes in Main Street Oak Ridge with about $3,300 worth of stolen merchandise, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. (Photo courtesy … [Read More...]

Warrant: Argument between neighbors ends with fatal shooting, homicide charge

Warrant: Argument between neighbors ends with fatal shooting, homicide charge

George Michael Patterson Note: This story was updated at 10:45 a.m. Nov. 26. An argument between neighbors ended with a fatal shooting in Rocky Top on Saturday morning, and one man has been charged with criminal … [Read More...]

More Police and Fire

Recent Posts

  • Close to 100 Entries Registered for Parade
  • Karen’s Jewelers has open house today
  • Power outages planned in west Oak Ridge on Saturday
  • O’Kegley, Santa to conduct Oak Ridge Chorus on Saturday
  • Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday in Oak Ridge
  • Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE
  • Call center relocates to Oak Ridge
  • Celebrate—or take a break from—the holidays with Dine and Donate!
  • Winter Farmers’ Market opens Saturday
  • Woman charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing man

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2019 Oak Ridge Today