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A video shows Arnold Eden’s robbery of the Hope Federal Credit Union in 2017.
Before all the proof had been laid out in federal court, Arnold Eden must have decided he’d seen enough.
Eden, 52, was on trial this week for the 2017 robbery of the Hope Federal Credit Union on Ridgeway Road. Law enforcement officials had a video of the robbery that showed Eden’s face. They also had fingerprints he’d left on a glass door as he left the bank.
With all of this, Eden pleaded guilty to the robbery during the course of the jury trial, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced Thursday.
[pullquote-1] According to Dunavant’s office, Eden entered the bank at 1:17 p.m. on July 3rd, 2017. He gave the teller a note demanding money. The teller told officials the note said, “I have a gun. I have nothing to lose. I want two stacks of hundreds.” The teller gave Eden $2,602 in cash. Eden then fled the scene.
You can see the exchange in this video:
Bank Robber Pleads Guilty Mid-Trial
“These disturbing and brazen acts of violence will not be tolerated, and will be met with firm resolve, quick investigative action, and aggressive federal prosecution,” Dunavant said in a statement.
A defendant taking a case all the way to federal court is rare these days, according to the Pew Research Center. Researchers there said nearly 80,000 people were defendants in federal criminal cases in 2018, but only 2 percent of them went to trial. The overwhelming majority (90 percent) pleaded guilty instead, while the remaining 8 percent had their cases dismissed.
Most defendants who did go to trial were found guilty, either by a jury or judge.
Eden faces up to 20 years in federal prison followed by 3 years supervised release. His sentencing is scheduled for May before U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Norris.
