Kings Park man sent to prison for robbing multiple Flagstar banks

The Kings Park man who robbed Flagstar Bank branches in West Babylon and Deer Park last December is going to prison for 5½ to 11 years following his sentencing hearing in Riverhead on Thursday, Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

Brian Blackford, 52, pleaded guilty Aug. 27 to two counts of third-degree robbery and one count of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, both serious felonies.

“Robbing a bank is a serious crime, whether the defendant uses a real firearm or pretends to have one, as Brian Blackford did,” Tierney said. “By handing employees a note and making them believe he was armed, this defendant created fear and put innocent people through a terrifying ordeal. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his actions.”

The first robbery happened Dec. 8 about 3:43 p.m., according to court records and Blackford’s own admissions during his plea. Blackford walked into the Flagstar Bank in West Babylon, went up to a teller and handed her a note, authorities said. She gave him $1,400, and he walked out.

Two days later, on Dec. 10 at about 12:45 p.m., he hit the Flagstar branch in Deer Park. This time, he handed a teller a note and pointed to his waist, implying he had a weapon. The teller handed over $3,930 in cash and Blackford again left before police arrived.

His run ended within hours.

Suffolk Police detectives tracked Blackford to Copiague later that day on Dec. 10 and arrested him. He was carrying 2.35 grams of powder cocaine, $2,700 of the stolen cash and a paper note that read, “give me $10,000 cash no funny business.”

In all, Blackford took $5,330 from the two branches, authorities said.

_{Top: provided by Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office}