New Jersey Woman Admits To Robbing A Bank Dressed As A Nun

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Woman Admits To Crime Spree And Attempted Bank Robbery

A New Jersey woman has admitted to her role in a monthlong crime spree spread across two states, including an attempted bank robbery in Pennsylvania where she and another woman dressed up as nuns.

Melisa Aquino Arias pleaded guilty Friday to robbing another bank in Garfield, New Jersey, while wearing a head covering and conspiring on how to steal money from an ATM at a bank in Scotrun, Pennsylvania. The 23-year-old woman faces up to 41 years in prison when she’s sentenced on September 21.

These pleas came only a few weeks after her co-defendant, 19-year-old Swahilys Pedraza-Rodriguez from New Haven, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to the same offenses.

The two women were arrested about two weeks after the Garfield robbery, when they went to a Teaneck bank and inquired about opening an account. An employee there recognized the women and proceeded to call the police.