Queen Street Bank Robber Sentenced

By Andrew Gorosko

A US District judge in Hartford this week sentenced a New Britain man to more than nine years in federal prison in connection with bank robberies at 28 banks, including the former Fleet Bank at 6 Queen Street in Newtown in April 2004.

Michael Gola, 33, was sentenced by Judge Alvin W. Thompson to 111 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of probation, for robbing 15 banks in Connecticut, two banks in New York, five banks in Massachusetts, three banks in New Jersey, and three banks in Rhode Island. The sentencing occurred on August 29.

Last February, Gola pleaded guilty to 17 counts of bank robbery, and admitted that he had robbed a total of 28 banks. Most of the robberies occurred during the spring and summer of 2004.

During each robbery, Gola entered the bank and handed the teller a note in which he demanded money in large denominations. These notes also stated that Gola had a gun and was willing to use it, even though Gola never actually brandished a weapon. Gola admitted committing these crimes while addicted to prescription narcotic drugs and in order to support his daughter with Down syndrome. He obtained $54,368 from the robberies, according to a statement from US Attorney Kevin O’Connor.

Gola has been in custody since his arrest on August 27, 2004. Gola must make full restitution to the 28 banks he robbed.

“In recent years, the number of bank robberies in Connecticut has been on the rise,” Mr O’Connor said. “These crimes not only injure banking institutions and their customers, but also pose a grave risk to public safety. Consequently, this office will continue to prosecute the individuals who commit these crimes to the full extent of the law.”

On the morning of Tuesday, April 27, 2004, in a low-key bank robbery, during which the people within Fleet Bank were unaware of what was happening, Gola stole cash from a female bank teller there and then quietly slipped out the front door of the bank, eluding capture.

That building is now a Bank of America branch office. The bank, which faces Queen Street, is in Newtown Shopping Village.

Police happened to be in the area at the time of the bank robbery and responded swiftly, but Gola got away. There were no injuries.

“It was not a situation that drew attention,” police said at the time. Most of the about ten people in the bank during the incident were bank staffers.

According to court documents, Gola stole $411 from Fleet Bank.

Besides Newtown, other towns in Connecticut where Gola robbed banks include New Britain, West Hartford, Bridgeport, Windsor, Mystic, Mansfield, Darien, Plainville, Cromwell, Bristol, and Westbrook.

The most recent local bank robbery occurred last November 14, when three men holding long-barreled firearms entered the Western Connecticut Federal Credit Union, a private bank at 15 Berkshire Road (Route 34) in Sandy Hook, and threatened violence, demanding cash, after which they made off with an undisclosed amount of money. That crime remains unsolved.