Massachusetts man tied to 16 bank robberies sentenced to under three years in prison

BOSTON – A man dubbed the “Incognito Bandit” was sentenced in federal court in Boston Friday for armed bank robbery.

Albert Taderera, 36, of Brighton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 34 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $11,561. In January 2019, Taderera pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery. In March 2017, Taderera was arrested at Dulles International Airport in Virginia as he attempted to board an outbound flight to South Africa.

Between February 2015 and March 2017, 16 banks were robbed in the Metro-West and Greater Boston areas. In most of the robberies, the robber was disguised in a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark face mask/sunglasses covering his face, dark gloves and dark clothing. In each case, the robber entered the bank and made verbal demands for the banks’ money. In most of the robberies, the robber displayed what tellers described as a black semi-automatic handgun.

All of the robberies occurred in suburban settings where banks were freestanding and featured adjacent wooded areas or foliage. After many of these robberies, witnesses observed the robber leave the bank and enter the wooded areas. Witnesses also observed the robber flee the area in a black BMW sedan. Based on these similarities, investigators believed that the individual driving the black BMW was responsible for the robberies.

On March 16, 2017, the law enforcement observed a black BMW sedan sitting outside a local bank. They also noted that Taderera fit the general description of the individual responsible for numerous recent robberies. Police determined that the registration of the BMW was revoked and per Department policy, the vehicle was towed and inventoried.

On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, an individual identifying himself as Taderera, called the tow company and inquired about the status of his BMW. The tow company informed Taderera that the vehicle was in police custody.

On Thursday, March 23, 2017, at approximately 10:15 pm, law enforcement learned that Taderera had booked a flight, scheduled to leave on Friday, March 24, 2017, at 11:00 a.m., from Dulles International Airport to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the morning of March 24, 2017, Taderera was en route to Dulles having taken a flight out of Boston. It was later learned that Taderera had rebooked his flight and was now planning to leave on March 24, 2017, at 5:45 p.m. from Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa. Taderera was arrested prior to boarding the flight.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; William Ferrara, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Concord Police Chief Joseph F. O’Connor made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.