'Merrimack Valley Bandit' Gets Lengthy Prison Sentence After Hitting Chelmsford Bank

A man dubbed the “Merrimack Valley Bandit” has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was implicated in more than a dozen robberies, including one in Chelmsford.

Rafael Beamud, 34, of Lowell, Mass., pleaded guilty to six armed robberies. He generally used a gun to threaten tellers in each case.

Beamud has been implicated in more than a dozen robberies from 2012 to 2013 in the Merrimack Valley, southern New Hampshire, and Maine—including banks in Chelmsford, Westford, Acton, and North Andover. Authorities said he also likely burned down his Salem, N.H. home in 2012.

He faces additional charges for robbing a Nashua,, N.H., bank in 2013.

Beamud’s father, Rafael, Sr., is a retired Cambridge, Mass. police detective.

Photo: Rafael Beamud, dubbed the ”Merrimack Valley Bandit,” captured by a security camera during one of his robberies. (Credit: WHDH)