A Detroit crime novelist with a history of bank robberies is once again facing serious charges after allegedly robbing two banks in March, according to federal authorities.
Dorian Trevor Sykes, 41, who spent 20 years in prison for a 2002 bank heist, now stands accused of stealing over $13,000 in two separate robberies just weeks apart. A criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE shows that Sykes, already on federal supervised release, has been charged with bank robbery and related crimes.
Sykes is the author of eight crime novels, all set in his hometown of Detroit. His latest book, Born to Die, is set to be released this May.
“During his lengthy incarceration, he penned several highly notable street novels,” his biography on Barnes & Noble’s website notes, adding that Sykes is “constantly working to give readers new hot material.”
But prosecutors say Sykes was working on something far more dangerous in real life.
According to court documents, on March 6, Sykes allegedly entered a Credit Union One branch in Sterling Heights and handed a teller a piece of paper — then announced, “This is a robbery,” demanding large bills. He reportedly fled with more than $10,000.
Less than a week later, on March 12, Sykes allegedly targeted a Chase Bank in Lathrup Village. This time, the note he passed was even more threatening: “Give me all the money…I have a gun…I will kill everyone in here,” the criminal complaint states. He fled with $3,400, allegedly making his getaway in a Rolls-Royce SUV.
Following the robberies, Sykes requested to represent himself in court and is currently being held without bond.
At the time of the alleged new crimes, Sykes was already on supervised release stemming from a 2020 conviction for robbing a Citizen’s Bank and a Comerica Bank. He was previously sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for those offenses.
In a sentencing memo from that case, prosecutors expressed doubt that Sykes could ever be rehabilitated, writing:
“While a lengthy term of incarceration may serve to deter others, the unfortunate lesson gleaned from Sykes’ history is that incarceration is not a deterrent for him.”
In a handwritten letter to a federal judge, Sykes previously argued that growing up in violent prisons had left him “physiologically scarred” and struggling to adapt to life outside prison walls.
“Although the defendant made it out of prison alive… it was not without injury,” Sykes wrote about himself.
As his newest novel nears publication, it seems Sykes’ real-life story continues to mirror the gritty street dramas he has spent years writing about.