Tewksbury Man Pleads Guilty In Federal Court To 2020 Bank Robbery

BOSTON, MA — A Tewksbury man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to one count of bank robbery, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts announced.

Nicholas O'Neil, 39, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5. O'Neil originally was charged in October 2020 with robbing the Santander Bank branch in Tewksbury the previous month.

O'Neil, whose residence was listed as Methuen at the time of his arrest, faces up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

According to court records, on Sept. 22, 2020, O'Neil entered the bank branch located at Main Street and Livingston Street and handed the teller a red cloth bag and a note demanding money.

O'Neil reportedly obtained $5,689 in cash from the teller. Then, O'Neil exited the bank and sped away in a white pickup truck, authorities said.

A bank customer observed the truck and reported a description to police, court records stated.

The pickup truck was located a short time later and O'Neil was arrested without incident, authorities said. The red cloth bag containing the stolen cash and the demand note were found inside the vehicle, according to authorities.

An accomplice, Sara Diaz-Lebel, who reportedly was driving the pickup truck, also was arrested in connection with the incident, according to newspaper reports.

The Lowell Sun reported that the charge against Diaz-Lebel was "dismissed upon request of Commonwealth and consent of defendant."