Iowa City man faces up to 20 years for armed robbery in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — An Iowa City man faces up to 20 years in prison for robbing a Cedar Rapids bank and holding a gun on tellers while taking more than $16,000 from them in January 2024.

Andrew Philip Derr, 22, pleaded guilty Thursday to two charges of second-degree robbery. He was originally charged with two counts of first-degree robbery.

He faces up to 20 years on both charges and must serve a mandatory 10 years before being eligible for parole. His sentencing is March 11 in Linn County District Court.

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Derr, in the plea, admitted to robbing the Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust branch at 5400 Council St. NE on Jan. 3, 2024. Video surveillance evidence showed Derr jumping over the counter and pointing a firearm at two tellers, while demanding money.

The tellers gave him $16,705 in cash, including marked “bait” money with serial numbers recorded by the bank, according to a criminal complaint. The tellers put the money in a “distinct gray backpack” with black accents and a rubber handle.

Cedar Rapids police and FBI agents obtained video surveillance from July 2023 when Derr entered the bank to open an account, and his physical description matched that of the robbery suspect.

Derr’s vehicle, a Chevrolet Spark, was captured on a police squad car’s license plate reader when an officer responded to the robbery, according to the complaint.

Police also had video showing Derr’s vehicle in a nearby parking lot before the robbery. The vehicle was tracked through Cedar Rapids to Interstate 380 and then driving back to Iowa City, where Derr lived.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Derr’s apartment and found his wallet, which contained two bank deposit receipts for a bank in Maryland on Jan. 5 and 6, 2024. A receipt from Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Jan. 8 and a United airline baggage claim slip also were found in the wallet.

The deposited money recovered by police contained 24 $20 bills of bait money, the complaint stated. Money found during in the search of his apartment was 37 $2 bills, which was the exact number of $2 bills taken during the robbery.

Derr was arrested in New Orleans in January and extradited back to Linn County on the robbery charges.

Derr also was indicted in January 2024 on federal charges for other area robberies and money laundering of the illegal proceeds, including the money he stole from Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust on Jan. 3. He faces two charges of interference of commerce by robbery and seven charges of money laundering.

The robberies alleged in the indictment were committed on Dec. 27, 2023, at a Casey’s store in Robins and a Kum & Go on Four Oaks Drive SW in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 1, 2024.

The seven deposits included in the indictment were for amounts ranging from $130 to $2,480.

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