Oak Ridge Police Department officers were at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning (April 28, 2015). The branch will remain closed Wednesday, although the credit union’s headquarters will be open. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 12:10 a.m.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the identification and arrests of the suspects in the kidnappings and extortions involving Y-12 Federal Credit Union and SmartBank.
The FBI, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and Oak Ridge Police Department are asking the public to help identify and locate the people responsible for the kidnappings and extortions.
The FBI said that on April 28, at approximately 8:15 a.m., a Y-12 Federal Credit Union employee and his family were kidnapped from their residence and held hostage at gunpoint.
While the family was held hostage, the employee was coerced to attempt to remove money from the Y-12 Federal Credit Union at 501 Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge.
After the robbery, the employee’s family members were released unharmed at the Gettysvue Country Club parking lot in Knoxville. The suspects fled and remain at large.
On Tuesday, July 7, 2015, at approximately 8 a.m., a SmartBank employee and his family were kidnapped from their residence and held hostage at gunpoint. The employee and his family were taken to the SmartBank, located at 202 Advantage Place in Knoxville.
While at the bank, the employee was coerced to remove an undisclosed amount of money, which was provided to the robbers.
The employee was then left at the bank and his family was released unharmed a short time later at the end of Pipkin Lane in West Knox County. The suspects fled and remain at large.
The suspects are described as:
Male Subject A
- White
- Late 20s to mid 30s
- Possibly salt/pepper hair
- Tattoo on neck with orange ink
- 5’11” to 6’3″
- 160 pounds
- Lean build
- Black clothing
- Black face mask
- Dark baseball hat
- Dark sunglasses
Male Subject B
- White
- Possibly mid-30s
- Shaved head
- 5’10” to 6′
- 200 to 220 pounds
- Stocky build
- Black face mask
- Dark baseball hat
- Dark pants and shirt
- Dark sunglasses
The investigative agencies are exploring the possibility that these two events are related, based on similar subject descriptions and a similar method of operation, an FBI press release said.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the Knoxville Police Department as part of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, as well as the KPD Violent Crimes Unit, the KCSO Major Crimes Unit, and the Oak Ridge Police Department.
Anyone with information that may lead to the identification and/or location of the above subjects should contact the Knoxville FBI Office at (865) 544-0751.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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