Middletown Woman, 28, Sent To Prison For Robbing WeHa Bank: Feds

WEST HARTFORD/MIDDLETOWN, CT — A former Middletown resident will spend the next two and a half years behind bars for robbing a West Hartford bank last year, according to federal officials Tuesday.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, said Jalania Pantano, 28, formerly of Middletown, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

Avery said Pantano robbed a West Hartford bank last year.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 20, 2022, Pantano and her boyfriend, Gino Rizzo, entered the People’s United Bank located inside the Stop & Shop at 176 Newington Road in West Hartford.

Federal officials said the couple presented to two different tellers notes stating “Give us the money with no dye packs or GPS.”

The tellers provided Pantano and Rizzo with approximately $1,599 in cash and they exited the bank and supermarket, Avery said.

Rizzo, using notes demanding cash, had previously robbed People’s United Bank branches located in Stop & Shop supermarkets in Glastonbury on July 16, 2022, and in Newington on July 18, 2022.

He was arrested on July 21, 2022, and Pantano was arrested on Aug. 30, 2022.

On April 11, while on pre-trial release, Pantano and Rizzo each disconnected their GPS electronic monitoring bracelets and absconded from their court-mandated rehabilitation centers, Avery said.

Officials said Pantano has been detained since her rearrest on May 24. On Aug. 23, she pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.

Rizzo has been detained since his rearrest on May 22, according to authorities, and he pleaded guilty on July 25, 2023, and is awaiting sentencing.

For the full DoJ statement, click on this link.