Man sentenced in armed robbery of Swansea bank

BOSTON – A Lowell man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a masked and armed bank robbery.

Jason M. Nobles, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release. In January 2019, Nobles pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery. Nobles is currently in federal custody.

On Feb. 26, 2018, a masked individual, later identified as Nobles, entered a branch of the Santander Bank in Swansea, approached a teller’s station, brandished what appeared to be a black semi-automatic pistol, pointed the pistol at the bank’s tellers and demanded cash. Throughout the robbery, Nobles pointed the weapon at the tellers ordering them to hurry up and threatening to shoot them. The tellers handed Nobles cash from their drawers, and Nobles fled the bank. A post robbery audit determined that Nobles stole approximately $15,000.

Bank employees witnessed Nobles depart the bank, run to a neighboring parking lot, and leave the area in a gray Toyota SUV, which had been reported stolen from Rhode Island earlier in the day. The employees were able to provide law enforcement with a vehicle description and the physical description of the robber. A high-speed chase ensued and local law enforcement officers, across multiple towns, worked together to locate the Toyota SUV, stop it, and detain the driver – Nobles – who matched the description of the robber given by the bank’s employees. Later, when law enforcement executed a search of the vehicle, they found a large sum of money and a black Sig Sauer semi-automatic pellet gun.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn; Swansea Police Chief George Arruda; and Rehoboth Police Chief James J. Trombetta made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.