Man Convicted Of Dedham Bank Robbery Gets 5 Years In Prison

BOSTON, MA – A Boston man was sentenced to nearly five years in prison Thursday in federal court in Boston for robbing 10 banks in the greater Boston area.

Paul B. Landrum, known as the “Route 128 Bandit,” because he was accused of knocking over multiple banks in communities along the Rt. 128 corridor, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

In May Landrum, 48, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of bank robbery. In November 2017, Landrum was arrested and charged in federal court and has been in custody since.

Between July 31, 2017, and Oct. 6, 2017, eight banks were robbed in the Greater Boston area. After each robbery, the tellers described the perpetrator as a light-skinned black man, 30-to-45-years-old, wearing a baseball hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeved collarless shirt. Based on the descriptive similarities, law enforcement suspected that the same individual was involved in each robbery.

Between Oct. 17, 2017, and Oct. 19, 2017, two more banks were robbed in the Greater Boston area. Following these robberies, the tellers described the robber, later determined to be Tamea Chambers, as a black woman, 30-to-35-years-old, wearing a wig. Based on the similar descriptions by the tellers, law enforcement suspected that the same woman was involved in these two robberies.

During their investigation of the latter robberies, law enforcement recovered video from a business connected to one of the banks that captured images of the woman robber in the company of a light-skinned black man. Upon comparison of this video footage with the video footage of the first eight robberies, law enforcement determined the man to be the Route 128 Bandit.

An investigation into the robber’s get-away vehicle led police to identify Landrum as the suspect, and on Oct. 24, 2017, Landrum and Chambers were arrested in Boston. Landrum admitted to robbing eight banks individually, and assisting Chambers with the final two robberies.

Chambers pleaded guilty in May 2018 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 17, 2018.

Here's a list of "Route 128 Bandit" sightings:

• Attempt: June 3, 2016, Citizens Bank, 673 VFW Parkway, Cambridge
• July 31, 2017, Tremont Credit Union, 10 Corinth St., Roslindale
• August 18, 2017, Santander Bank, 1850 Centre St., West Roxbury
• August 31, 2017, Tremont Credit Union, 10 Corinth St., Roslindale
• September 14, 2017, Dedham Savings Bank, 55 Elm St., Dedham
• September 25, 2017, Bank of America, 35 Washington St., Wellesley
• October 2, 2017, RTN Federal Credit Union, 1205 Adams St., Boston
• October 3, 2017, Rockland Trust, 75 Moody St., Waltham
• Attempt: October 6, 2017, Citizens Bank, 673 VFW Parkway, Cambridge
• October 6, 2017, Bank of America, 158 Great Rd., Suite A, Bedford

Previously on Patch:

• 'Route 128 Bandit,' Alleged Accomplice Caught
• 'Route 128 Bandit' Pleads Guilty To 10 Bank Robberies
• Bank Robbery: Wellesley Police Release Photos Of Suspect
• Waltham Bank Robbed, Police Are Looking for This Man

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By Jenna Fisher, Patch Staff

Photo courtesy of FBI