Justice Department: Man, 26, Arrested for Robberies in New Hampshire & Massachusetts, Including Framingham

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BOSTON – A Lancaster man was arrested yesterday, February 27, and charged in connection with a series of unarmed robberies committed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire between November 2019 and February 2020, announced the U.S. Justice Department in a press release.

Matthew Alden, 26, was charged in a criminal complaint with two counts of interference with commerce by threats or violence. Alden was arrested yesterday evening and detained pending a detention hearing set for March 5, 2020.

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According to charging documents, on Feb. 4, 2020, Alden robbed a TD Bank on Main Street in Athol, and on Feb. 21, 2020, Alden allegedly robbed an Avidia Bank on Maple Avenue in Shrewsbury. During both robberies, Alden wore a black ski mask and black gloves and demanded cash from the bank tellers.

Alden is allegedly connected to the eight other robberies listed below:

•     Nov. 21, 2019: Enterprise Bank on Littleton Road in Westford;

•     Dec. 2, 2019: TD Bank on Main Street in Athol;

•     Dec. 11, 2019: Honey Farms on Leominster-Shirley Road in Lunenburg;

•     Dec. 12, 2019: Cornerstone Bank on South Main Street in Leicester;

•     Dec. 27, 2019: Avidia Savings Bank on Maple Street in Marlborough; 

•     Jan. 10, 2020: Metro Credit Union on Worcester Road in Framingham;

•     Jan. 10, 2020: TD Bank on Central Street in Foxborough; and

•     Feb. 13, 2020: Citizens Bank on North Eastern Boulevard in Nashua, N.H.

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. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Westford, Athol, Lunenberg, Leicester, Marlborough, Framingham, Foxborough, Shrewsbury, Clinton, Lancaster, Millbury and Nashua (N.H.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.