Newark Woman Pleads Guilty To Federal Bank Robbery Charge

Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 11:20 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News, 

CAMDEN, NJ.- A 38-year-old Essex County, New Jersey, woman is facing up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in connection with a bank robbery that occurred last summer in Princeton, New Jersey.

     According to U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, on Tuesday, June 2, 2025, Ciara Brascom, 38, of Newark, New Jersey, formally appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Karen M. Williams to a federal information charging her with one count of Bank Robbery.

Judge Williams Schedules Brascom To Be Sentenced In October

     Following entering her guilty plea, Judge Williams accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for October 6, 2025. At that time, Brascom faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. At sentencing, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offenses and Brascom’s prior criminal history, if any.

     According to the charging information, during the afternoon hours of July 28, 2024, Brascom entered the TD Bank located on Route 206 in Princeton, New Jersey, and demanded cash from a bank teller while holding what appeared to be a black handgun but was in fact a painted toy water pistol.

     During the robbery, Brascom threatened that she would use the gun if the bank’s alarm was activated. Brascom fled the bank after taking around $60,500.

     During her arrest in late September 2024, she told Detectives that she robbed the bank because she was experiencing financial difficulties.