GEORGE BRATSENIS, 73, last residing in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was sentenced to 96 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing armed bank robberies in Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Bratsenis met his associate, Bomani Africa, when they were both incarcerated on robbery convictions in a New Jersey state prison. On April 20, 2014, Bratsenis and Africa robbed a People’s United Bank branch located on Old Kings Highway Road in Darien, Connecticut.
On September 25, 2014, Bratsenis, Africa, and Africa’s son, Randi Feliciano, conspired to rob another bank. In the early morning hours of September 25, 2014, Feliciano drove Africa from Philadelphia to a parking lot in Trumbull, Connecticut, where, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Africa stole a car from a victim at gunpoint. The next morning, Africa and Bratsenis, both wearing masks and brandishing firearms, robbed a People’s United Bank branch located on Madison Avenue in Trumbull, taking nearly $30,000 in cash.
The defendant has a lengthy criminal history that includes a federal conviction for armed bank robbery in April 1984 for which he received a 25-year prison sentence.
The armed bank robberies were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Darien, Trumbull, Stratford, and Bridgeport Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
Bomani Africa has been detained since his arrest on May 28, 2015. On December 16, 2015, he pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery. He awaits sentencing.
Randi Feliciano pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on February 21, 2017, was sentenced to 51 months of imprisonment.
Related Federal Cases
- Jose Luis Martinez, Armed Bank Robbery, New Jersey 2017 · Connecticut
- Lavon Young, Bank Robbery, CT 2018 · New Hampshire
- Frank Pensiero, Bank Robbery, Connecticut 2020 · Connecticut
- Garfield Bank Robber Sentenced to 37 Months · Connecticut
- Brian Page, Failing to Report to Prison, Connecticut 2017 · Connecticut
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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