'Merrimack Valley Bandit' Who Hit Westford Bank Sentenced

A man dubbed the “Merrimack Valley Bandit” who hit a Westford bank in 2013 was sentenced to 25 years in prison in federal court in New Hampshire.

That’s on top of the 12-year prison sentence he already received in Massachusetts.

Rafael Beamud, 34, of Lowell, Mass., hit more than a dozen banks, pharmacies, and other establishments from 2012 to 2013, prosecutors said.

Beamud admitted to using a gun to rob a Nashua, N.H., CVS on March 25, 2013. He also robbed a CVS in Manchester on April 22, 2013. He was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison for those robberies.

He also robbed banks in Westford, Acton, North Andover, and Chelmsford. Authorities said he also likely burned down his Salem, N.H. home in 2012.

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