KNOXVILLE, Tenn.–Police here have arrested two men in connection with three robbery/kidnapping attempts of Tennessee financial institution employees in their own homes.
Arrested were Brian Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, and Michael Benanti, 43, of Lake Harmony, Penn. Both men were arrested in Buncombe County, N.C. in connection with robberies in the Knoxville area. Both are convicted felons and authorities said they are “confident” the two men are the only ones involved in the robbery attempts, which involved two credit unions and one bank.
Police did not clarify, however, whether Witham and Benanti are also considered suspects in the Memphis, Tenn. robbery/abduction attempt involving an employee of FAA Credit Union. CUToday.info is working to get further clarification.
The duo are believed to have been behind the April abduction of Mark Ziegler, CEO of Y-12 Federal Credit Union, and his family were kidnapped from their home, where they were held at gunpoint. The family was held hostage and Ziegler was forced to drive to the CU’s offices to withdraw money. The family was later dropped off unharmed in the parking lot of a country club.
In July, in a similar robbery, Tanner Harris, first VP and commercial lending officer at SmartBank in Knoxville, along with his family, were also confronted at home by robbers. Harris was forced to get money for the robbers before he and his family were also released unharmed.
Then, in October, an employee of Northeast Community Credit Union in Elizabethtown, Tenn., was also confronted at home by robbers and ordered to withdraw money from the CU.
According to authorities, the two suspects have been indicted on 15 charges, including bank extortion, carjacking, brandishing a firearm during a bank extortion, brandishing a firearm during a carjacking and felony possession of a firearm.
Multiple law enforcement agencies in Tennessee and North Carolina worked to make the arrests.
The arrests in North Carolina of the suspects in the Tennessee abduction/robberies are not believed to be related to a similar crime that allegedly took place at Achieve Financial Credit Union in February of this year.
In that case CFO Matthew Yussman has alleged that he was confronted in his home by robbers who forced him to wear a bomb vest and drive to his credit union to get money. Yussman called the credit union’s CEO, and police intervened before any money was ever stolen. Yussman escaped unhurt; the alleged robbers remain on the loose and no arrests have been made. That investigation is ongoing.