Shelton PD
Bernadette Volikas.
SHELTON – A Milford woman who robbed the TD Bank in Shelton was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday (March 21).
Bernadette Volikas, 47, committed the robberies to fuel a drug habit, her defense attorney said. On June 2, 2023, Volikas was arrested in her Milford home after a joint investigation between Shelton and Stratford police connected her to two bank robberies.
In the Shelton robbery, she was accused of stealing $1,100 from TD Bank on Bridgeport Avenue in May 2023. She did not display a weapon, but threatened to use one, according to Thursday’s court proceedings.
Volikas was found guilty of first-degree bank robbery, as well as fourth-degree larceny. Her nine years in prison will be suspended after four years served, followed by three years of probation. She will also have to pay back the money she stole from the bank.
She is scheduled to be sentenced in Bridgeport for another robbery on Friday (March 22).
John Walkley, the public defender who represented Volikas, told the court that she committed bank robberies in order to buy drugs.
“I have to hope today this will be the last time Ms. Volikas is in a courtroom for committing these types of crimes,” Walkley said.
Volikas appeared remotely in court, as she has been incarcerated since her arrest last June. Before the sentence was handed down, she apologized for the crimes and thanked her family for their support.
“Ten months later, not having any drugs in my system, I’m completely embarrassed and disgusted by my behavior,” Volikas said.
“I do have a lot of family support, thankfully. They haven’t turned their backs on me, and again I just want to apologize for everything I’ve done,” she said.
Judge Kevin Russo noted that a teller at TD Bank had to receive counseling as a result of the robbery.
Volikas will receive credit for time served since her June arrest.
