Barnegat bank thief sentenced to 10 years in prison

Steven Wisnowski of Barnegat, who admitted holding up eight banks in New Jersey and New York in 2013 and 2014, heads to prison for 120 months.

A federal judge in Trenton meted out the sentence today, and ordered the 33-year-old to serve three years of parole supervision and pay $22,240 in restitution, according to the office of New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

Federal authorities did not indicate whether time already served would be factored into Wisnowski's sentence.

Wisnowski previously pleaded guilty to an eight-count superseding indictment. A conviction for any one of the heists would have placed him at risk of 20 years behind bars.

Wisnowski reportedly gleaned about $31,000 during the spree that began on October 30, 2013, at a PNC branch in Edison.

From there, it continued almost weekly: TD and Santander banks in Brick on November 7 and 15, Ridgewood Savings in Bayside, New York on November 22, Columbia Bank in Edison November 27, a TD branch in Toms River December 2, PNC Bank in Aberdeen December 9, and Fulton Bank in Edison on January 7, 2014.

According to investigators, Wisnowski conducted each holdup clad in hooded jackets, hats, and wigs, pressuring tellers and, in some cases, leading them to believe he was armed.

Describing the Columbia robbery, detectives said that Wisnowski appeared to point an object beneath his clothes, said, "Give me all your hundreds," and began counting backwards from 10, running out with the money.

During the Fulton robbery, authorities said, Wisnowski pushed a manila envelope to a teller, said, "Give me what I want and nobody gets hurt. I want large bills," and pulled up his sweatshirt as though carrying a weapon.

Investigators tracked Winsowski's vehicle to Fulton Bank, intercepted him at the entrance, and ordered him to the ground at gunpoint. He threw the envelope and ran, captured moments later, authorities said.