A 36-year-old Shelton man was sentenced to 30 months in prison Thursday for his part in two area bank burglaries in 2009.
According to information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, David Mazerolle and two accomplices — Marco and Roberto Santiago — cut the telephone lines to the Huntington Street TD Bank late in the evening of Sept. 6, 2009.
Mazerolle and Roberto Santiago — wearing hats, gloves and masks — pried open a rear door to the bank while Marco Santiago acted as lookout for police.
The men stole $1,632 in coins from the teller stations, according to federal prosecutors. They also tried to pry open a vault, but couldn’t do it.
Eight days later, Roberto Santiago, Felix Cruz and an unnamed third person broke into a TD Bank on West Main Street in Waterbury. The phone lines were also cut in that crime.
They tried to break into the bank’s ATM room for some 20 minutes before taking a break and leaving the bank. They re-entered 25 minutes later and again tried to get into the ATM room.
Mazerolle arrived and helped the men get into the room to steal the ATM. They loaded it onto a hand truck and then into a van. State police found the ATM machine the next day. It was missing about $49,000.
Mazerolle pleaded guilty in December to one count of bank theft. After 30 months in prison, he’ll be on three years of supervised release.
Marco and Roberto Santiago have also pleaded guilty. So has Felix Cruz. They are all waiting to be sentenced.
The crimes were investigated by the FBI, the Waterbury Police Department and the state police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
