Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

‘Freedom Fighter Bandit’ indicted on Gwinnett robbery charge

Nilsa Urena
Nilsa Urena
By Amanda C. Coyne
Aug 24, 2018

Nilsa Marie Urena, an accused serial bank robber known as the “Freedom Fighter Bandit,” has been indicted on one charge of robbery by intimidation in Gwinnett County.

Urena, 25, was arrested in February after allegedly robbing a credit union near Nashville, Tennessee, according to the FBI. She has been charged with nine robberies in the metro Atlanta area.

READ | Gwinnett business owner shoots at suspects during burglary

In the Gwinnett case, Urena and Devon Marshon Morris are accused of threatening a teller at Georgia's Own Credit Union in Loganville that Urena "had a bomb inside her." Urena used a similar strategy at banks in Paulding, Douglas and DeKalb counties, according to police.

Morris was also indicted on the robbery by intimidation charge.

Urena was nicknamed the “Freedom Fighter Bandit” because during robberies she would allegedly say she was stealing the money “for a cause.”

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Georgia native Hamby has been superintendent since 2006. Buford city schools in Gwinnett County integrated in 1969.

About the Author

Amanda Coyne is a hyperlocal reporter for the AJC, covering Gwinnett County.

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