Tewksbury Man Indicted on Bank Robbery Charge

 BOSTON – A Tewksbury man was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Boston in connection with a Sept. 22, 2020 bank robbery.

Nicholas O’Neil, 37, has been indicted on one count of bank robbery after being arrested in Tewksbury on Sept. 22, 2020. He was previously charged by federal criminal complaint.

According to charging documents, on Sept. 22, 2020, O’Neil entered a branch of the Santander Bank in Tewksbury, handed the teller a demand note and a red cloth bag. The teller placed the money into the red bag and handed the bag and the demand note back to the robber who exited the bank. A bank customer watched the robber exit the bank and allegedly get into the passenger side of a white pickup truck and exit the area at a high rate of speed. Police issued an alert for the white pickup truck and a short time later, the truck was located and “boxed-in” in heavy traffic. Police officers arrested the driver and passenger, later determined to be O’Neil. Inside the vehicle, the red bag with the money and the demand note were recovered.    

The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan M. Columbus made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.