Man Who Said He Robbed Chelmsford Bank, Sentenced For Tewksbury Heist

BOSTON, MA — A Methuen man was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison Monday for a 2020 armed bank robbery in Tewksbury, the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Massachusetts has announced.

Caio Costa, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin. The sentence also includes five years of supervised release, authorities said.

On July 26, Costa pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of using and carrying a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence in connection with a Sept. 25, 2020, robbery at the Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury.

During an interview with law enforcement after his Sept. 26, 2020 arrest, Costa admitted that he robbed the same Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury three days earlier, authorities said.

Costa also admitted to other armed bank robberies between Aug. 28 and Sept. 25, 2020, according to authorities, including: on Aug. 28 at the Eastern Bank in Chelmsford, Sept. 18 at the People's United Bank in Lowell and Sept. 18 at the Reading Co-Op in Wilmington.

Court records show that the robbery for which Costa was convicted, involved Costa entering the Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury armed with a loaded revolver and donning a black motorcycle helmet.

Inside the bank, Costa brandished the weapon, stole over $7,000 and fled on a motorcycle. Costa then led law enforcement on a high-speed chase, which reached speeds of up to 100 mph, authorities said.

Costa eventually crashed the motorcycle and escaped on foot. Authorities said they later located the helmet and clothing consistent with what Costa had worn during the robbery.

According to court records, on Sept. 26, Costa was arrested at a hotel in Salem, NH, where he was found to be in possession of a large sum of cash.

In addition to admitting to other bank robberies during a post-arrest interview with law enforcement, Costa directed police to a dumpster where he had discarded the loaded black revolver, black gloves, a black backpack and other items of clothing used in the Sept. 25 robbery, authorities said.