Jamaine Howell, Bank Robbery, Massachusetts 2021

Armed Robbery Hits TD Bank in Allston, Massachusetts

A brazen armed robbery shook the quiet streets of Allston, Massachusetts, on February 7, 2021. Jamaine Howell, 36, of Everett, Massachusetts, entered a TD Bank branch on Commonwealth Avenue and handed a demand note and a plastic bag to the teller. Howell threatened the teller, stating he had a gun, and displayed a firearm at two bank customers.

During the heist, Howell managed to grab approximately $5,900 from the teller and instructed one of the customers to leave the bank with him. The customer, however, managed to escape while Howell was distracted. The robbery drew significant attention from law enforcement, who quickly launched an investigation.

On February 16, 2021, police arrested Howell at a hotel in Sharon, Massachusetts, after a guest reported being brandished with a firearm. Officers found Howell armed with a loaded .45 caliber Ruger handgun and a loaded semi-automatic shotgun in a vehicle previously rented to him.

Howell was charged with one count of bank robbery and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for May 10, 2023. The charge of bank robbery carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

The charge of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence provides for an additional sentence of five years to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, announced the guilty plea today. The Boston, Sharon, and Lynn Police Departments provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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