The government introduced at trial real and testimonial evidence of two weapons seized from appellant upon his arrest, in spite of the fact that Ferreira had not been indicted for armed bank robbery. On the TV show "Caught in Providence", Sequeira bragged that the movie "The Town" starring Ben Affleck is based on his life. Get free summaries of new First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals opinions delivered to your inbox! BOSTON - A Charlestown man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for bank robbery. If the code of silence isnt dead, its definitely moribund, said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Vicinanzo. The movie is actually a loose adaptation of Chuck Hogans novel Prince of Thieves. Financial Calculators. In a stroll of Charlestown on a sunny day, it's hard to believe this tiny Boston neighborhood could be "the bank robbery capital of America" - the Warner Bros. hype about Ben Affleck's new film "The Town," which opens Friday. Knowing the area's bad reputation, agent Cassano could, at this point, reasonably infer, based on his 13 years of experience, that a bank robbery suspect was hiding somewhere in the building. Thus, a finding by the district court disbelieving Ferreira would not have been clearly erroneous. When asked why he robbed banks, Sutton simply replied, Because thats where the money is.. We cannot conclude that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Although we base our decision on relevancy grounds, we also join the Laker court in holding that such evidence, even if remotely relevant, would have been unfairly prejudicial to appellant. Moreover, although the story of the movie is purely a work of fiction, it actually passes references to several real-life crimes. O'Connor chased the suspect, finally stopping and frisking him. All Rights Reserved. At separate points during the chase, Sequeira pointed a pistol at a pursuing officer and the men threw a large quantity of money, marked with red dye from an exploding dye pack, from the car. Answer (1 of 4): I grew up in Charlestown, and yes it has more than it's share of bank robbers. In this case, the inference of criminal behavior that reasonably can be drawn by an experienced officer from the evidence is stronger than in Trullo. While he lacked specific information that the robbers hailed from Charlestown, both Cassano and the officer accompanying him nevertheless decided to investigate. Convicted bank robber William Sequeira got out of paying some parking tickets telling a judge he was the inspiration for Ben Affleck's character in the movie "The Town." Now he faces more bank . denied, 429 U.S. 820, 97 S. Ct. 66, 50 L. Ed. [3], https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlestown,_Boston, Throughout the 1960s until the mid-1990s, Charlestown was infamous for its Irish Mob presence. The witness said he and Mr. Nardone had split a $5,000 fee. Finally, we find that the evidence was irrelevant for impeachment purposes. The movie itself aspires to create a cinematic representation of Boston and in no way attempts to antagonize Charlestown or its people. We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to grant a mistrial. William Sequeira, 59, was charged in Boston Municipal Court Central with two counts of armed robbery of a bank and one count of attempted armed robbery of a bank. Atty., Boston, Mass., with whom Mark E. Robinson, Asst. 1-800-296-8431, Small Business Administration (SBA) Lending, Online & Mobile Banking - User Guide & FAQs, Banking On Diversity - Minority Business Fund. Ms. King said the code of silence was started long ago by Irish immigrants who distrusted authority. Many of them testified that they had grown tired of a life of stealing, of drugs, of broken relationships.. The Sixth Circuit reasoned that, in an unarmed bank robbery case, evidence that the defendant had a handgun upon his arrest lacked any probative value to an element of the crime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlestown_Mob. This piqued Cassano's curiosity. Three masked men entered the bank, one holding a machine gun and another a revolver. His father was a criminal, while his mother became a drug addict because of Irish Mob boss Fergus Colm's sale of drugs to her; she hanged herself when Doug was six. Connolly called the verdict a victory for the armored car guards families and a total victory for justice.. The court's failure to issue a cautionary instruction clearly enhanced its prejudicial impact. The first was reported at 9:10 a.m. at a Santander Bank branch at 287 Hanover St., and the second at 9:14 a.m. at a Citizens Bank branch On June 28, 2018, a masked individual, later determined to be Brady, entered a branch of the Cambridge Savings Bank in Charlestown and approached two bank tellers demanding the tellers take money from their cash drawers and the banks vault and give it to him. Dennis C. Taylor, 47, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of bank robbery. Springfield:413-785-0235 Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lellings Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. The movie circles around a band of modern-day bank robbers who were all born and raised in the blue collar neighborhood of Charlestown in south Boston. Cepulonis, 530 F.2d at 246. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS United States v. Eatherton, 519 F.2d 603 (1st Cir. United States v. Hickey, 596 F.2d 1082, 1089 (1st Cir. United States v. Tierney, 760 F.2d 382, 387 (1st Cir. Whoever, by force and violence, or by intimidation, takes, or attempts to take, from the person or presence of another any property or money or any other thing of value belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of, any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association; Shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both. She also said that the robber stole some "coin rolls." Unlike Cepulonis and Eatherton, there is no foundation testimony in the record showing that Ferreira had actually carried a gun at the time of the robbery. Geronimo bank robbery in Geronimo, Oklahoma, 1984, resulted in the deaths of three bank employees and one customer. R. Crim. The officers arrived at Charlestown from 10 to 15 minutes after the crime. All five defendants are from the Charlestown section of Boston, an area known for its "code of . Ben Affleck's film "The Town" however gives the impression that every bank robbed in New England is robbed by a "Townie." What makes this Boston neighborhood notorious is that for such a small area, (a. See United States v. Trullo, 809 F.2d 108, 111 (1st Cir. The prosecution also said Sequeira is suspected in three more robberies in Boston, Dedham and New Bedford. William Sequeira, 56, arrived at the Houston House in January 2018 after serving more than 26 years in prison for armed robbery. BOSTON A Boston man has been indicted in connection with the September 2022 robbery of a bank in Brookline. I-Team: Serial bank robber arrested for attempted heist in Back Bay. Sequeira is a serial bank robber who served decades in prison. [THE PROSECUTOR]: The robber was wearing a ski mask in the bank, your Honor, so with respect to identification, the Court is right, it is a weak identification case. This stop and frisk produced the evidence appellant sought to suppress. He said he planned to appeal on the admission of DNA and fingerprint evidence during the trial. When the film first premiered in 2010, there was some backlash on its representation of the people in Charlestown. The agents went back again to search the surroundings for abandoned evidence. Updated Jan 11, 2011 at 1:34 AM. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather. 2d 605 (1985) (quoting Terry, 392 U.S. at 20, 88 S. Ct. at 1879). See United States v. Wiener, 534 F.2d 15, 18 (2d Cir. They had . Taking by intimidation has been defined as "the willful taking in such a way as would place an ordinary person in fear of bodily harm." The seriousness of the federal charges reassured the residents that they no longer had to live in fear. The district court conditionally admitted the testimony of William J. Bodziak. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. See Fed. 404. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Connolly said Charlestown residents and criminals alike decided to come forward following the Hudson deaths. In its opening shot itself, the film establishes that it is set in Bostons Charlestown. Special Agent Gail Marcinkiewicz, spokeswoman for the FBI's Boston office, does not track bank robberies by neighborhood but made a point of mentioning that the movie is "based on a fictional book.''. The dispatcher told Cassano that Ferreira was seen carrying an orange-colored jacket, and wearing dark trousers with a ski mask over his face. DEA agents and local officers worked together to establish a comprehensive case against the criminals. Jan. 25, 1994 Wells Fargo armored car, Charlestown, Mass. He not only took at . By bringing federal drug laws to bear, the task force was able to develop solid cases. Shea's new sentence is for between 120 to 150 months in prison on the Londonderry bank robbery case. They then fled outside. The key is whether the officers had a particularized suspicion of criminal activity. It is clear from the evidence, however, that none of the eyewitnesses could positively identify Ferreira as one of the robbers except to testify as to his profile and general physical appearance. In United States v. Vosper, 493 F.2d 433, 435-36 (5th Cir. Boston Police report arresting Thomas Hickey, 49, of Charlestown, for a Nov. 30 bank robbery on Austin Street in which he allegedly pushed an elderly man who was in line before him out of the way at a teller window.. Police report arresting Hickey, who has numerous convictions for armed robbery . Doug MacRay (1972-) was a bank robber from Boston, Massachusetts. ; Shea, OHalloran, McDonald, Burke. 3-4. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Atty., were on brief for appellee. March 1994 Wells Fargo armored car, Chestnut Hill, Mass. In 1972 Kuala Lumpur was designated a municipality, and in . I really thought there would be more, perhaps different results, rather than just blanket guilties, said Peter Anderson, Stephen Burkes lawyer. This search produced a red/white baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses, $523 in money recovered from a toilet (including "bait" and "mutilated" money), and a key which turned out to be from a bank drawer. Want to teach English as a foreign languageabroad? BOSTON, March 25 For decades in Bostons Charlestown neighborhood, witnesses to crimes never breathed a word, either out of loyalty or out of fear. In this month's LIFE MATTERS newsletter, we provide several interesting articles including this one about the many costs to selling a home and how to plan for those costs. The radio dispatcher had told Cassano that a bank robber was seen wearing such a jacket. But the intensive investigation and a change of heart in the community broke the code, prosecutors said. "Thanks to diligent investigative work he was apprehended before anyone got injured.". Affleck's crew of bank robbers needed genuine local flavor. Several of the defendants were subsequently convicted of murder. THE MOVIE THE TOWN WAS Mde after these 4 guys from Charlestown. See United States v. Streifel, 781 F.2d 953, 960 (1st Cir. For the past 50 years, he was a fugitive wanted in one of the largest bank robberies in Cleveland's history, living in Boston under a new name he created six months after the heist in the summer . Prosecutors are recommending that they get life in prison without parole. The trial began in September. But on Wednesday, two leaders of a drug ring and their enforcer were convicted in Federal District Court on charges of racketeering, cocaine trafficking, murder and attempted murder, with the help of testimony from about a dozen witnesses. There's no way you can reasonably obtain the skills to rob a bank other than by . A customer at the bank had to write his account number over the rolls before being allowed to deposit the coins. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlestown_Townies, Townieism accepts that criminal activity exists in Charlestowns past and present, most notably in the form of bank and pharmacy robberies by Townies as well as narcotic sales and use, and does not pass judgement on this behavior. The bodies of Johnson and . The first was a bank robbery at the Santander Bank on September 27. At that point this individual leaped down the stairs and I yelled at him to hold it. The city is located in west-central Peninsular (West) Malaysia, midway along the west coast tin and rubber belt and about 25 miles (40 km) east of its ocean port, Port Kelang, on the Strait of Malacca. Whether fear of retaliation by the criminals, anti-police sentiment, or vigilante justice motivated the towns citizens, no one would talk to police. Ninety-six percent of Charlestown is white. In reviewing for harmless error, we consider pertinent the district court's appraisal of the evidence upon the denial of the motion for judgment of acquittal: THE COURT: Well, it's certainly not the strongest identification case that ever came down the [p]ike. Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where . We turn next to harmless error analysis. BCT's Money Management tools are available within your Online Banking and Mobile App. As they walked down the stairs, Cassano saw Ferreira come out of Room 725. Caught an old episode of FBI Files the other day about an armored car robbery crew in the 80s and 90s. 1983) (en banc), cert. Two men entered the First Bank and Trust at 1005 a.m. on Dec. 11. 2113(a).1 The issues on appeal are (1) whether the district court erred in refusing to suppress, inter alia, two firearms, $1,958 in cash (including about $150 in "bait money"), and coin rolls seized from Ferreira after an allegedly unconstitutional "stop and frisk," (2) whether the testimony of an expert witness for the prosecution unfairly prejudiced Ferreira, and (3) whether the introduction of weapons in evidence was reversible error. Police had that location under surveillance and were able to arrest Sequeira after he allegedly went from one teller to the next, demanding "give me hundreds.". He was the infamous Boston bank robber with 9 lives. Ben Affleck played this real-life bank robber in 'The Town'. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/19971223/news/312239965, Posted Dec. 23, 1997 at 12:01 AM 2d 306 (1971). I didn't have a place to live. In addition, special agents of the Department of Housing and Urban Development were able to take action against tenants living illegally in Charlestown housing. Prosecutors revealed he's also suspected in a September 27 Santander Bank robbery on Berkeley Street and another robbery the following day at M&T Bank on Boylston Street. ; $500,000-$600,000; Shea, OHalloran, Burke. On Feb. 7, 2019, Brady pleaded guilty to bank robbery. The Community's Bank. Cf. Via cbsnews.com. See United States v. Berryman, 717 F.2d 650, 660 (1st Cir. United States v. Masse, 816 F.2d 805, 808, (1st Cir. All rights reserved, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Hampshire: An NBC10 Boston Original, POST Commission Suspends Former Rowley Cop Charged With Rape, 2 Other Officers, Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter, Tracking the Next Hit of Wintry Weather Headed to New England, Due Late Week, Driver Describes Very Scary' Moments Trapped in Car After Crash Takes Down Power Lines in Stoneham, JetBlue Plane, Private Jet Have Close Call' at Boston's Logan Airport: FAA, Beacon Hill to Consider Extending Extra SNAP Benefits, as Pandemic-Era Aid Gets Cut. "One blue-collar Boston neighbourhood has produced more bank robbers and armoured-car thieves than anywhere in the world: Charlestown." These words flash up on screen at the opening of Ben . Based on the true life events of Anthony Shea, Mike O'Halloran, Matt McDonald, Pat McGonagle and Stephen Burke who from Charlestown, MA had over 100 armed robberies in the 90's. Moreover, although the story of the movie is purely a work of fiction, it actually passes references to several real-life crimes. Trouble Shooting Codeigniter onlocalhost, Playing mp3 files on a USB stick in a HondaCRV. One of the suspects was concealing an object with an orange jacket or sweater. BOSTON - An infamous criminal, who claims he's robbed more than 100 banks, was arrested in an attempted heist in the Back Bay. United States v. Bowles, 625 F.2d 526, 535 n. 12 (5th Cir. As to the reason for his flight, Ferreira testified that he was nervous of being caught with the two weapons, and not because of consciousness of guilt of bank robbery. Five years ago, she helped found the Charlestown After Murder Program, an organization of women who meet every Sunday in a Catholic church to talk about unsolved homicides that have affected their lives. 2113(a). . See 1 Weinstein's Evidence p 702 at 702-13 (1985) (stating that a trial judge has ample discretion in the admission or exclusion of expert evidence, and his decision will be upheld on appeal unless "manifestly erroneous"); cf. 401. Brady took the money and threatened to return to the bank and blow it up if the tellers reported the robbery. The suppression issue in this case relates only to whether, considering the totality of the circumstances, the officers had reasonable suspicion of criminal activity for making the stop in the first place. He testified that the other money in his pockets legitimately came from a settlement in a personal injury case. Thus, reliance by O'Connor on Cassano's order justified the second detention. It is claimed that one of the Nike sneakers Ferreira was wearing at the time of his arrest had left a shoeprint impression over the teller's counter at the time of the robbery. Who are you?" A task force was formed to tackle Charlestowns crime. This allegedly happened by Cassano's yell, "stop him." agent with 13 years of experience, testified that on November 16, 1982 at about 10:25 AM he received a radio dispatch that the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank had just been robbed by at least two white men. Sign up for our free summaries and get the latest delivered directly to you. We hold that the district court abused its discretion in admitting irrelevant evidence. Worcester:508-368-0100. In United States v. Laker, 427 F.2d 189, 190 (6th Cir. Its prologue says that One blue-collar Boston neighborhood [Charlestown] has produced more bank robbers and armored car thieves than anywhere else in the world. United States v. Robinson, 560 F.2d 507 (2d Cir. 3.6M views, 49K likes, 7.2K loves, 2.4K comments, 14K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Caught In Providence: Ben Affleck played this real life bank robber in 'The Town'. Doug befriended Jem Coughlin as a child, and . First published on October 5, 2022 / 11:09 PM. Sutton was a bank robber and earned the nicknames The Actor and Slick Willie for his ingenuity in executing robberies in various disguises. Most of the holdups were in Massachusetts, including two in Fall River. South Boston aka "Southie" and it's neighboring town Dorchester are the Irish mob hot spots in the city, going back at least a century.
