MAINE MAN GUILTY OF BANK ROBBERY

BOSTON, MA - A Portland, Maine man was convicted late yesterday in U.S. District Court on bank robbery charges in connection with the robbery of the Eastern Bank located at 88 Broadway in Malden, MA.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - New England Field Division, announced that RONALD M. DIVOLA, 42, of 304 Ray Street, Portland, Maine, pleaded guilty late yesterday to an indictment charging him with one count of bank robbery.

At the plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proven that on March 20, 2007, DIVOLA entered the Eastern Bank located at 88 Broadway in Malden, MA, and handed a teller a demand note written on yellow lined paper that read, words to the effect, “This is a stickup, no dy packs or else, no quick move.” The teller complied and handed the robber loose bills of different denominations totaling $4,986. DIVOLA took the money, pocketed the note and fled the bank.

Immediately following the robbery, DIVOLA was apprehended by Malden Police while fleeing the bank in a getaway car being driven by his unsuspecting girlfriend. The demand note was recovered from DIVOLA’s left pants pocket, along with some of the stolen money and a “crack” pipe. The rest of the stolen money was found on the floor of the getaway car, along with a baseball cap, scarf, sunglasses, pair of gloves and green sweatshirt worn by DIVOLA during the robbery. A yellow lined legal note pad was also recovered from the getaway car. After waiving his Miranda rights, DIVOLA was interviewed by FBI special agents and confessed to the robbery.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 5, 2008. DIVOLA faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Boston Bank Robbery Task Force, comprised of personnel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Massachusetts State Police, Boston Police Department and Cambridge Police Department, with the assistance of the Malden Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette E.M. Leoney in Sullivan’s Major Crimes Unit.