Iowa City felon sentenced to over 2 years in federal prison for gas station robberies

CEDAR RAPIDS — An Iowa City man, already serving up to 20 years in an Iowa prison for robbing Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, was sentenced last week to over two years in federal prison for two additional robberies.

Andrew Philip Derr, 22, who also lived in Frederick, Md., was convicted in June of two counts of interference of commerce by robbery and one count of money laundering.

According to the plea agreement, Derr was discharged from the military for misconduct in 2023, and he moved to Iowa City and started committing a series of robberies in Cedar Rapids and Robins.

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Derr admitted to robbing a Casey’s store in Robins on Dec. 27, 2023, according to the plea agreement. He stole over $7,000 from the store. He wore a black medical mask, dark hoodie, camouflage-colored hat, yellow gloves, gray pants and boots and carried a black trash bag and what appeared to be a black handgun, the plea stated.

He pointed the gun at the employees and made them put money and cigarettes into the bag. Derr also had one of the workers open the safe under the counter and put additional money in his bag, according to the plea. He also stole some bottles of alcohol.

As Derr was leaving the store, he pulled the trigger of the gun, which didn’t discharge, according to the plea. One of the employees who was familiar with guns said it didn’t sound like a real firearm hammer falling on an empty chamber.

On Dec. 28, 2023, officers used a K-9 unit to attempt to track Derr, according to the plea. He apparently dropped stolen items, leading a path from Casey’s to where Derr’s cellphone was found.

The plea included an example of Derr’s bank records with three deposits into an account.

Then on Jan. 1, 2024, he robbed a Kum & Go store on Four Oaks Drive in Cedar Rapids. He stole $245, the plea stated. He was wearing a black sweatshirt, ball cap, gloves and a black medical mask was covering his face.

He brandished a gun, matching the description of one used in the Casey’s robbery.

On Jan. 3, 2024, Derr robbed the Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust branch on Council Street NE in Cedar Rapids, where he stole over $16,000 in cash. He was convicted of that robbery in Linn County District Court in March and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He must serve 10 years before being eligible for parole.

After each robbery he laundered the stolen money by making multiple deposits into his Maryland bank account to conceal the illegal funds, according to a plea agreement.

After the Cedar Rapids bank robbery, he flew to Maryland and made two deposits totaling over $4,800, according to the plea. When the U.S. Marshals Service tried to arrest Derr at his Iowa City apartment, they found a note stating, “Catch me if you can … You shouldn’t have let me go the 1st time.”

On Jan. 24, 2024, Derr turned himself into a police station in New Orleans, La., according to the plea.

U.S. District Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Derr to 34 months and 29 days in federal prison for the gas station robberies and ran this sentence concurrently with the state court prison sentence. Derr also was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $7,360 in restitution to Casey’s, $308 to Kum & Go and $16,705 to Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com