Man Convicted of East Bay Bank Robbery Spree

OAKLAND – A federal jury convicted William Mulligan of two counts of bank robbery and two counts of attempted bank robbery relating to an East Bay bank robbery spree in January of 2021, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The conviction follows a four-day trial before the Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, United States District Judge.

Mulligan, 36, of Rohnert Park, was charged on May 13, 2021, in a federal indictment alleging multiple counts of bank robbery and attempted robbery, all taking place in January of 2021. At trial, the government showed that on January 11, 2021, Mulligan entered a Bank of America branch in Dublin, Calif., presented a robbery note to the teller, and walked away with $8,650 in cash.

Then, on January 25, 2021, Mulligan robbed or attempted to rob three East Bay banks. First, Mulligan entered a Bank of America branch in Pleasant Hill, Calif., presented the robbery note, but the teller refused to give him any money.

Twenty minutes later, Mulligan entered a Bank of America branch in Walnut Creek, Calif., presented the robbery note to the teller, who retreated to the bank’s vault room without giving Mulligan any money.

Shortly thereafter, Mulligan entered a Wells Fargo branch in Concord, Calif., presented the robbery note and obtained $1,160 from the bank teller.

Three days later, on January 28, 2021, Mulligan was pulled over while driving a white Nissan with a black spoiler, distinctive stickers, and no license plates, the same car seen on surveillance footage at the Dublin and Walnut Creek robberies. After Mulligan’s arrest, officers discovered a robbery note in his wallet and a subsequent FBI search of his car revealed clothing matching that worn during all four bank robberies and attempted bank robberies.

On May 13, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Mulligan, charging him with five counts of robbery and attempted bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). At trial, the government presented evidence demonstrating Mulligan was guilty of four of the counts and the jury convicted Mulligan of all the counts tried.

Mulligan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison per count, as well as a $250,000 fine. In addition, the court may order restitution and an additional term of supervised release. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers ordered that Mulligan remain detained pending sentencing and has not yet scheduled a sentencing date.

Assistant United States Attorneys Abraham Fine and Benjamin K. Kleinman of the Oakland Branch of the United States Attorney’s Office are prosecuting the case with assistance from Kay Konopaske, Kathleen Turner, Jessie Chelsea and Margoth Turcios. The prosecution is a result of an investigation by the FBI.