Michigan man who crashed getaway car after attempted Guadalupe bank robbery sentenced to prison
LOS ANGELES - A Detroit man who robbed a Lompoc credit union and then attempted to rob a bank in Guadalupe has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
Maurice Antwion Pilgrim Jr., 20, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to one county of bank robbery on April 8. He was also ordered to pay $748 in restitution.
Pilgrim robbed the Coast Hills Credit Union on North H Street in Lompoc on Oct. 13, 2020. Pilgrim demanded cash and fled with $3,000.
Two days after the Lompoc robbery, he attempted another robbery at Mechanics Bank in Guadalupe. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Pilgrim passed a bank teller a note that read, “give me $5,000-$10,000 and no gets hurt.”
This robbery attempt was foiled by a security guard, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Pilgrim fled the scene in his car but was spotted by a Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputy. Pilgrim initially stopped his car but then took off, leading law enforcement on a chase with speeds exceeding 100 mph. Pilgrim weaved in and out of traffic and almost collided with other vehicles on the roadway.
The chase came to an end after Pilgrim crashed his car near the visitor center at Vandenberg Air Force Base. He was arrested after trying to get away on foot.
Law enforcement recovered $552 from Pilgrim’s car and $1,700 from his pockets. The recovered cash linked Pilgrim to the successful robbery in Lompoc just two days earlier.
Pilgrim was arrested and then indicted by a federal grand jury in November.
The FBI, the Lompoc Police Department, the Guadalupe Police Department, and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case and it was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lynda Lao.
