BABYLON, NY – A Kings Park man has been sentenced to 5½ to 11 years in prison after admitting to robbing two Flagstar Bank branches in Suffolk County and being found with cocaine when police arrested him, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Brian Blackford, 52, of Kings Park, was sentenced Thursday, October 1, 2026, following his August guilty plea to two counts of third-degree robbery and one count of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all class D felonies.
Prosecutors said the robberies occurred two days apart in December 2025 at Flagstar Bank branches in West Babylon and Deer Park.
According to court documents and Blackford’s admissions during his guilty plea, he entered a Flagstar Bank in West Babylon at approximately 3:43 p.m. on December 8, 2025, approached a teller and handed her a note. The teller gave him $1,400 before he left the bank, prosecutors said.
Two days later, at approximately 12:45 p.m. on December 10, Blackford allegedly entered another Flagstar Bank, this time in Deer Park. Prosecutors said he handed a teller a note and pointed toward his waist in a manner suggesting that he had a weapon.
The teller gave Blackford $3,930 in cash and he left the bank, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Suffolk County detectives located Blackford later that day in Copiague, part of the Town of Babylon, and placed him under arrest. Authorities said officers recovered $2,700 in stolen cash, 2.35 grams of powder cocaine and a paper note that read, “give me $10,000 cash no funny business.”
In announcing the sentence, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said the conduct placed bank employees in fear even though Blackford did not display an actual firearm.
“Robbing a bank is a serious crime, whether the defendant uses a real firearm or pretends to have one, as Brian Blackford did,” Tierney said. “By handing employees a note and making them believe he was armed, this defendant created fear and put innocent people through a terrifying ordeal. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his actions.”
Blackford pleaded guilty on August 27, 2026. His sentence of 5½ to 11 years in state prison was imposed on October 1, according to prosecutors.
Key Facts & Details
| Defendant | Brian Blackford, 52, of Kings Park |
| Sentence | 5½ to 11 years in prison |
| Charges | Two counts of Robbery in the Third Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree |
| First Robbery | December 8, 2025, at a Flagstar Bank in West Babylon |
| Second Robbery | December 10, 2025, at a Flagstar Bank in Deer Park |
| Total Taken | $5,330, according to prosecutors |
| Arrest | December 10, 2025, in Copiague |
| Guilty Plea | August 27, 2026 |
| Sentenced | October 1, 2026 |
| Prosecuting Agency | Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office |
The case involved communities across western and central Suffolk County, with the two robberies occurring in the Town of Babylon and Blackford residing in Kings Park on Long Island’s North Shore.
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