Man Sentenced For Robbing Bank In Berlin, Other Towns During Robbery Spree

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Middletown man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison in connection to a bank robbery spree in 2015 that included banks in Cheshire, Berlin, Deep River, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Durham and Killingworth.

Matthew Dragone, 32, also received three years of supervised release following the prison term during Monday’s sentencing, U.S. States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly announced in a news release. Dragone had been charged with robbing six banks, and attempting to rob a seventh bank, in 2015.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Dragone robbed the Webster Bank at 145 Highland Ave. in Cheshire on Aug. 12; the TD Bank at 1127 Farmington Ave. in Berlin on Aug. 13; the Liberty Bank at 151 Main St. in Deep River on Aug. 17, the TD Bank at 25 Wells Rd. in Wethersfield on Aug. 31; the Liberty Bank at 357 Main St. in Durham on Sept. 3, and the TD Bank at 184 Clinton Rd. in Killingworth on Sept. 11; and the attempted robbery of the Webster Bank at 377 Cromwell Ave. in Rocky Hill on Sept. 9.

During each incident, Dragone, wearing a baseball cap and dark sunglasses and holding a cellphone to his ear, presented a teller with a bank-style bag affixed with a note that demanded money.

A search of Dragone’s residence in September 2015 revealed clothing and sunglasses consistent with those worn during the Durham robbery earlier that month, as well as a bank-style bag consistent with the one used during several of the bank robberies, according to Daly.

Dragone was arrested on Sept. 18, 2015 and pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery last February.

Image via Shutterstock

Also see:

• Former Pastor Pleads In $400K Theft Case; Mom Improvises To Run Business; Jewish High School Receives Bomb Threat: CT News