A Kings Park man was sentenced to 5½ to 11 years in prison after admitting to robbing two Flagstar Bank branches in Suffolk County and pretending to be armed during one of the robberies, prosecutors said.
Brian Blackford, 52, pleaded guilty in August to two counts of third-degree robbery and one count of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Blackford stole more than $5,000 during robberies at Flagstar Bank branches in West Babylon and Deer Park in December 2025.
On Dec. 8, Blackford entered the West Babylon branch at about 3:43 p.m. and handed a teller a note, according to court documents and his admissions during his guilty plea. The teller gave him $1,400 before he left.
Two days later, at about 12:45 p.m., Blackford entered a Flagstar Bank in Deer Park and handed a teller another note. Prosecutors said he pointed toward his waist, implying that he had a weapon.
The teller gave him $3,930 before he left the bank.
Suffolk County detectives located Blackford later that day in Copiague and arrested him. Prosecutors said he had 2.35 grams of powder cocaine, $2,700 in stolen cash and a note that read, “give me $10,000 cash no funny business.”
“Robbing a bank is a serious crime, whether the defendant uses a real firearm or pretends to have one, as Brian Blackford did,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said.
Blackford pleaded guilty on Aug. 27 and was sentenced on Oct. 1.
The investigation was conducted by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit.
