Gary S. Judge Sentenced for Shoe Box Bank Heists

Two banks. One shoe box. A trail of cash and red smoke. Gary S. Judge, 37, of Randolph, Massachusetts, is behind bars after a federal court sentenced him to 57 months in prison for two brazen bank robberies in 2014. The punchline? He used a shoe box and handwritten notes to walk away with thousands — until the dye pack blew his cover.

Judge was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns in Boston, receiving 57 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $6,292 in restitution. In October 2016, he pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery, closing a two-year investigation that began with two nearly identical holdups months apart.

The first strike came July 28, 2014. Judge walked into the Century Bank in Braintree, carrying a shoe box. He slapped a note on the counter: “PUT THE MONEY IN THE BOX NOW, $20’S $50’S AND $100’S.” The teller handed over $5,622 in cash. No weapon. No shouting. Just quiet efficiency — and a getaway before police even arrived.

He returned August 11, 2014 — this time at a Citizens Bank branch in Milton. Same shoe box. Same script. The note read: “PUT THE MONEY IN THE BOX NOW!!!$100’s, $50’s, AND $20’s.” He walked out with $670. But this time, the bank slipped a red dye pack into the stack. As Judge drove off in a Chrysler SUV with Massachusetts plates, a customer spotted thick red smoke billowing from the box.

It took weeks, but the break came when law enforcement received a tip linking Judge to the robberies. A photo of him matched surveillance images from both banks. Worse for Judge: his wife owned a Chrysler SUV matching the getaway vehicle. Arrested December 30, 2014, he didn’t fight it — he confessed on the spot.

Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb and FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Harold H. Shaw announced the sentencing. The Braintree and Milton Police Departments assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine, of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case. Judge’s shoe box scheme netted him less than $6,300 — and cost him nearly five years of freedom.

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