Stoneham Man, Two Others Allegedly Planned to Rob Norwood Check-Cashing Business

Three men, including a Stoneham man, were arrested and charged Wednesday in a federal court in Boston with conspiring to rob a Norwood check-cashing business, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press statement.

James Chambers, 53, of Stoneham, John Salvucci, 65, of Medford and George Whalen, 55, of Winthrop, were arrested early Wednesday morning on federal arrest warrants, according to the statement.

“The actions alleged in the complaint involved a dangerous and violent plot to commit a robbery and kidnap a store owner," said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz in the statement. "Thanks to the diligence and hard work of the investigative team, the plot was thwarted and the defendants now face federal criminal charges.”

“Early (Wednesday) morning, when the FBI and Massachusetts State Police SWAT teams arrested Mr. Salvucci, Mr. Whalen and Mr. Chambers, after a round-the-clock investigation by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, the violent conspiracy allegedly hatched by the trio was interdicted and halted, preventing harm to the intended victims,” said Richard DesLauriers, the FBI Special Agent In Charge. “The victims targeted in this plot, and the community at large, were spared needless violence because of the resolve of the FBI, United States Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police, Boston, Medford, Saugus, Somerville, Norwood, Canton and Malden Police Departments to ensure the plot never came to fruition.”

The three defendants allegedly conspired to rob Norwood-based Forest Hills Check Cashing. In January, Salvucci allegedly sought to obtain the assistance of an individual, who subsequently informed the FBI about the planned robbery and agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the robbery.

In a series of recorded meetings, Salvucci is accused of telling the cooperator that he, along with Whalen and Chambers, were going to rob the checking-cashing company because the defendants believed that the business carried a significant amount of cash, according to the statement.

During these meetings, Salvucci allegedly discussed kidnaping the owner of the check-cashing business to use the owner to help them commit the robbery, according to the statement. According to the complaint, Salvucci also told the cooperator that Whalen and Chambers would kidnap the owner from the owner’s home the morning of the intended robbery, reads the statement.

Salvucci allegedly told the cooperator that the three defendants were going to case the Norwood business on Jan. 21 prior to the robbery, according to the statement.

On Jan. 21, federal agents and law enforcement officers followed the three defendants as they traveled from north of Boston to the targeted business in Norwood, reads the statement. Agents and officers reportedly saw the three engage in various acts related to their gathering information about the business, including Whalen and Chambers entering the business itself, according to the statement.

If convicted on this charge, Salvucci, Whalen and Chambers each face up to 20 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, reads the statement.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini and Michael Crowley of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.

The defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.