A Rhode Island man has pleaded guilty to robbing several Massachusetts banks and a credit union in 2018 in a spree that ended with a high-speed car chase.
Charles Lamont Wheeler, 47, pleaded guilty in Boston federal court on March 10 to five counts of bank robbery. His co-defendant, Dong Lee, is scheduled to plead guilty today, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.
The five robberies occurred in 2018 between Sept. 8 and Sept. 14. Based on the similarity of the robberies and the descriptions of the robbers provided by bank tellers, authorities determined that the same two individuals were responsible for these robberies, according to the U.S. attorney’s statement.
After robbing a branch of Crescent Credit Union in Brockton on Sept. 14, according to the statement, Lee and Wheeler were arrested following a high-speed car chase in Attleboro.
Following an interview and review of banks’ surveillance tapes, authorities determined that Wheeler and Lee were responsible for these robberies, according to the statement:
- Santander Bank in Andover on Sept. 8
- Berkshire Bank in Boston on Sept. 8
- Rockland Trust in Braintree on Sept. 12
- Abington Savings Bank in Avon on Sept. 14
- Crescent Credit Union in Brockton on Sept.14
Wheeler is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13. Each charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years’ in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution in the amount of $11,250.
