A 54-year-old man behind six robberies in Lower Bucks County will be spending years in federal prison.
Marshall Brooks pleaded guilty last summer to two armed bank robberies and four armed robberies of stores in the lower end of the county. He came before U.S. District Judge Jan Dubois earlier this month for sentencing.
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Brooks was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison by Dubois earlier this month.
Authorities said Brooks used and threatened force, violence, and fear of injury to rob two banks and four businesses in December 2018 and February 2019. The majority of the robberies took place in Bensalem and Lower Southampton.
On the evening of February 7, 2019, Brooks walked into the The Smoke Shop on Commerce Circle in Bristol Borough and threatened the two store owners and one customer with what appeared to be a handgun. Brooks demanded cash and cigarettes. He fled in a white sedan and investigators were able to connect him to the crime after his arrest in Bensalem days later.
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The December robberies happened at the First Bank on Old Street Road in Lower Southampton, Santander Bank on Street Road in Bensalem and a smoke shop on Galloway Road in Bensalem. In addition to the Bristol Borough robbery, Brooks hit Fine Wine and Good Spirits store on Street Road in Lower Southampton and two smoke shops in Bensalem last February.
Brooks used a fake gun in the robberies.
At the time of the 2018 and 2019 robberies, Brooks was only weeks out of state prison after serving 15 years for a 2004 bank robbery in Delaware County. In that robbery, Brooks used a pellet gun.
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“When Brooks was released from his 15-year prison sentence, he had a choice: he could become a law-abiding citizen or he could revert to his criminal ways,” said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. “Unfortunately for the victims he terrorized during his crime spree, he took the latter path – the one that will lead him straight back to prison. The streets of Lower Bucks County are far safer now that Brooks will be spending the next few decades behind bars.”
“Imagine being physically manhandled by a stranger aiming a gun at you, demanding money. It isn’t something terrified armed robbery victims soon forget. Brooks is a clear danger to the public, and today’s sentence ensures he’ll remain behind bars for quite some time. The FBI’s BucksMont Safe Streets Task Force is committed to making our neighborhoods safer by diligently combating violent crime in our communities,” Tara McMahon, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, said.
According to a sentencing memo filed in federal court and obtained by LevittownNow.com, his public defender said Brooks was released from state prison in November 2018 with “no reentry plan, no mental health treatment plan, and nowhere to live.” From there, he was “stressed” about finding work, gaining insurance, and housing. The factors caused the man with bipolar disorder to become depressed and self-medicate with cocaine and amphetamines, which sent him spiraling into a manic episode.
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The manic symptoms and drug use led to the robberies in Bensalem and Lower Southampton in December 2018.
After a bout of severe depression in January 2019, Brooks began self-medicating with cocaine and amphetamines in February while suffering a manic episode.
“Severely sleep-deprived and thinking only about how to quickly obtain money for drugs, Mr. Brooks committed three more robberies with a fake gun between February 7, 2019 and February 13, 2019,” the public defender said.
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Bensalem police arrested Brooks on February 15, 2018 and he admitted to the robberies. He also said the robberies were “all about the money” and because he “just spends money,” court papers state.
Brooks had a rough upbringing and suffered physical abuse at the hand of his father, sexual abuse at the hands of a family member, and the drowning death of his best friend.
While dealing with his mental health issues and drug problems, he was convicted of robbery and jailed for the first time at just 19 years old, according to court records.
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Brooks’ friends told federal investigators that he was a good man who suffered from serious issues.
The case was handled by the FBI’s BucksMont Safe Streets Task Force and Bensalem, Bristol Borough, and Lower Southampton police.
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