FLORIDA – An Orlando man has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison for the armed robbery of an armored truck at a Seminole County bank that ended in a high-speed chase.
Michael Jerome Virgil, Jr., 23, Orlando, has been sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza for armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The court also ordered Virgil to forfeit the firearm and ammunition possessed during the offenses.
In addition to his prison term, Virgil was ordered to pay $686 in restitution to the armored truck employee who had to replace his firearm after authorities seized it as evidence in the pending investigation.
Virgil pleaded guilty on May 18, 2023.
According to court documents, on September 1, 2022, Virgil robbed an armored truck employee who was collecting money at a Bank of America branch in Seminole County. While one of the guards was loading the money into the back of the armored truck, Virgil brandished a loaded firearm and entered the truck.
Virgil then stole two bags of currency totaling $312,167 and ran back to his vehicle. When the second guard attempted to stop Virgil at gunpoint, Virgil drove toward him, causing the guard to discharge his weapon, which struck Virgil’s vehicle.
Multiple law enforcement agencies joined a high-speed pursuit of Virgil, including the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), the Lake Mary Police Department, the Winter Park Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orlando Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
A SCSO helicopter was also deployed to track Virgil’s car. The chase ended in a parking garage in Orlando when officers cornered Virgil’s vehicle. Virgil was taken into custody, and officers recovered the firearm and the stolen currency from the bank.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman prosecuted it.
