The Florida Department of Justice charged Mawdo Malick Sallah, of Florida and South Carolina’s Kirk Douglas Johnson, with three counts of arson, two counts of using a fire or explosive to commit a federal felony and two counts of bank larceny
Sallah, 33, and Johnson, 34, could face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison for the schemes to use fires and explosives to take cash from four ATMs.
Sallah and Johnson set explosions to several ATMs in Florida, and one in Georgia, in their effort to steal cash, stealing nearly $70,000 from explosions set to ATMs in the Tampa Bay area between November and January – three ATMs in total.
The pair were arrested March 22, after setting off an explosion at an ATM in Watkinsville, GA. Though that ATM was damaged, the two were unable to obtain any cash from that machine.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
“The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office will never tolerate someone making our community feel unsafe while doing a simple act such as going to the ATM,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “The actions of these individuals could have led to innocent people being seriously hurt or killed. They were thinking solely of their gain and not the dangerous impact it would have on others.”
