Rangers and Robbers

Two former Army Rangers who were stationed at Ft. Lewis are pleading guilty today to charges stemming from their involvement in a bank robbery in Tacoma in August. Altogether, seven men have been charged, five of them Rangers. The non-Rangers are Canadians; one of the Rangers has dual citizenship and is currently under house arrest in his mother's house in BC, fighting extradition. Two Rangers already pleaded guilty. 2 ex-Rangers to admit guilt in bank heist, Seattle Times, March 8, 2007. Trial Ad instructor Amanda Lee represents one of the Rangers who is scheduled to enter a plea today. The details of his plea agreement were still confidential at the time of the newspaper story.

Other stories (all Seattle Times, all by David Bowermaster):

• The Army Ranger who robbed a bank, Feb. 8, 2007. Prosecutors said that Luke Sommer, the alleged leader, planned to take over a BC crime ring from the Hells Angels. When he was picked up by Canadian police, he gave a statement saying that he planned the robbery in order to bring attention to war crimes.
• No evidence found of war crimes Ranger alleged, Pentagon says, Dec. 9, 2006.
• Army Ranger pleads guilty to bank robbery, Dec. 8, 2006
• Ranger's defense: If I did it, it was political, Dec. 6, 2006.
• Charges in the Heist, Dec. 6, 2007.
• Tacoma Bank Robbed to Start a Crime Family?, Nov. 30, 2006.
• Fort Lewis Ranger Charged Over Stored Weapons, Sept. 22, 2006.
• 3 Rangers Charged in Tacoma Bank Heist, Aug. 11, 2006.

I think the Army recruiting slogan, "Be all you can be," was not really intended to apply to young men with ambitions to use their weapons training for bank robbery.