Lowell Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank Robberies

BOSTON – A Lowell man pleaded guilty yesterday to the robberies of three Worcester banks in April 2023.

Joselito Santiago-Matias, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery and two counts of armed bank robbery. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2024. Santiago-Matias was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.

Santiago-Matias robbed a Santander Bank in Worcester on April 3, 2023; a Berkshire Bank in Worcester using a gun on April 12, 2023; and a Santander Bank in Worcester using a gun on April 19, 2023.

The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to up to 25 years, five years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000.   Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Worcester Police Department Interim Chief Paul B. Saucier made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan D. O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.