Virginia Beach man pleads guilty to robbing five banks

NORFOLK

A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to robbing five South Hampton Roads banks last year.

James Nathan Pizer, 42, was arrested after he tried to enter a Monarch Bank in the 4200 block of Virginia Beach Blvd. on Nov. 24 and bank tellers recognized him from warning fliers. They refused to let him enter and called police, according to court documents.

Pizer was arrested later that afternoon and charged in the robbery of another Virginia Beach Monarch Bank branch in July.

FBI investigators later connected Pizer to additional robberies in Virginia Beach, Suffolk and Chesapeake between July and November of 2010. In his plea agreement, Pizer on Tuesday admitted to committing five robberies and taking a total of $21,500.

In U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Pizer pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery of a bank.

He faces up to 25 years in federal prison. He is slated for sentencing on Sept. 8.

Editor's note: Due to erroneous information from the U.S. Attorney's office, an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of charges to which Pizer plead guilty.