A Lancaster man was arrested and charged in connection with a series of unarmed robberies committed at banks in Massachusetts and New Hampshire during the past three months.
Matthew Alden, 26, was charged in a criminal complaint with two counts of interference with commerce by threats or violence. Alden was arrested on Feb. 27 and detained pending a detention hearing set for March 5, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.
Alden allegedly robbed a TD Bank on Main Street in Athol on Feb. 4 and on an Avidia Bank on Maple Avenue in Shrewsbury Feb. 21, according to charging documents. During both robberies, Alden wore a black ski mask and black gloves and demanded cash from the bank tellers, according to the U.S. attorney’s statement.
Alden is allegedly connected to a robbery at another Avidia Bank on Maple Street in Marlborough on Dec. 27, as well as robberies at:
- Enterprise Bank on Littleton Road in Westford on Nov. 21;
- TD Bank on Main Street in Athol on Dec. 2;
- Cornerstone Bank on South Main Street in Leicester on Dec. 12;
- Metro Credit Union on Worcester Road in Framingham on Jan. 10;
- TD Bank on Central Street in Foxborough, also on Jan. 10;
- Citizens Bank on North Eastern Boulevard in Nashua, New Hampshire on Feb. 13.
He is also connected to a robbery at Honey Farms on Leominster-Shirley Road in Lunenburg on Dec. 11, according to the statement.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 on each count.
