Dracut Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for 2020 Christmas Eve Armed Robberies of Convenience Stores

BOSTON – A Dracut man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with the armed robbery of three convenience stores in Lowell and Tewksbury on Dec. 24, 2020.

Michael Vangpa, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 150 months in prison and five of supervised release. On July 21, 2022, Vangpa pleaded guilty to three counts of interfering with commerce by robbery and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On Dec. 24, 2020, Vangpa robbed three nearby convenience stores—two in Lowell and one in Tewksbury—within an hour. In each of the robberies, Vangpa brandished a firearm and demanded money from the store clerks. During one of the robberies, Vangpa discharged the firearm into cardboard boxes under the register while demanding money. In the other robberies, he used the firearm to strike the cashier in the head and make a store customer get on the ground.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. The Lowell, Tewksbury, Dracut and Nashua (N.H.) Police Departments provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.