Man Accused Of Robbing 4 Banks, Including 1 In Chelmsford Charged

CHELMSFORD, MA – A man was arrested and charged Wednesday in connection with robbing four banks in Middlesex County in August and September, including one in Chelmsford.

Caio Costa, 25, of Methuen, was charged by criminal complaint with armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. Costa was arrested on state charges on Sept. 26, following the robbery of a branch of the Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury. Costa was detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

According to charging documents, between Aug. 28 and Sept. 25, four federally insured banks were robbed in Middlesex County. In each of these robberies, the robber entered the bank wearing dark clothing and a motorcycle helmet and brandished a black revolver. Following each, the robber escaped on a dark-colored motorcycle.

Court documents say that on Sept. 25, a man, later determined to be Costa, wearing dark clothing and a motorcycle helmet went into a Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury. Costa approached a teller, brandished what appeared to be a black revolver and demanded the bank’s money. The teller handed Costa cash and Costa left the bank and sped away on a dark-colored motorcycle.

Local law enforcement, spotted Costa on the motorcycle in traffic and attempted to stop him shortly afterwards. But, according to court documents, Costa sped off weaving in and out of traffic before he crashed and ran off on foot.

The following day, police found and arrested him at a New Hampshire hotel. Police said Costa admitted to the Sept. 25 armed robbery of the Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury; the Aug. 28, armed robbery of the Eastern Bank in Chelmsford; the Sept. 18, armed robbery of the People’s United Bank in Lowell; and the Sept. 18, armed robbery of the Reading Co-Op in Wilmington.

He faces up to 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of as much as $250,000 for the charge of armed bank robbery. The charge of brandishing a firearm during a crime provides for a mandatory sentence of seven years in prison to be served consecutive to the armed robbery charges.