Andrew Michael Dufresne Sentenced in Manchester Bank Robbery

Andrew Michael Dufresne, a 44-year-old Manchester man, is headed to federal prison for robbing a People’s United Bank branch in broad daylight. Dufresne was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months behind bars for snatching cash at gunpoint from a teller at the Elm Street location, capping a five-year-old case that unraveled fast after surveillance images hit the streets.

On April 9, 2014, Dufresne walked into the federally-insured bank at 1750 Elm Street and handed a note to a teller that read, “GIVE ME THE MONEY.” No weapons were fired, but the threat was clear. He reached into the cash drawer, grabbed several bundles of bills, and bolted. Alarms sounded, triggering an immediate response from the Manchester Police Department, which released surveillance photos to the public within hours.

It didn’t take long for the net to close. Within days, multiple callers identified Dufresne from the released images. Witnesses pointed police in his direction with certainty, tying the gaunt-faced suspect directly to the heist. The break in the case came not from high-tech forensics, but old-school neighborhood recognition — the kind that cuts through silence when someone steps too far out of line.

Dufresne was arrested April 11, 2014, in Methuen, Massachusetts, after crashing a stolen vehicle. While the car theft wasn’t linked to the bank job, it landed him in custody. He was prosecuted in Massachusetts on unrelated charges and has been behind bars ever since. The federal bank robbery case moved slowly, but never died. On June 29, 2016, Dufresne pleaded guilty, clearing the path for sentencing once his current term ends.

The investigation was a joint push by the Manchester Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, blending local grit with federal reach. Prosecutors treated the crime with zero tolerance, emphasizing the violation of public trust when banks — federally insured institutions — are targeted. Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon handled the case for the government, securing a sentence that reflects both the crime and Dufresne’s ongoing incarceration.

United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice confirmed the sentencing, underscoring that justice delayed isn’t justice denied. Dufresne will serve his 63-month federal sentence consecutively, only after finishing his time on the Massachusetts charges. The People’s United Bank robbery may have lasted minutes, but its consequences are now measured in years behind bars.