Franklin County Man Charged with a String of Bank Robberies

April 13, 2010 - The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, stated that Chad Lussier, 23, was arraigned in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont on Friday, April 9, 2010, after a federal grand jury in Burlington returned a superseding indictment charging him with five counts of bank robbery. United States District Court Judge Christina Reiss ordered Lussier, who is from Franklin County, detained pending resolution of the case.

On February 18, 2010, the grand jury charged Lussier with robbing the TD Bank in Enosburg Falls on January 29, 2010. The superseding indictment adds four charges, alleging that Lussier robbed the TD Bank in Enosburg Falls on November 13, 2006; the Chittenden Bank in Swanton on October, 27, 2009; the Chittenden Bank in St. Albans on October 5, 2009; and the TD Bank in Richford on September 25, 2009. According to court records, Lussier wielded a knife in all but the last robbery.

If convicted, Lussier faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. The actual sentence, in the event of a conviction, will be determined in accordance with the federal sentencing guidelines. The United States Attorney emphasized that the charges contained in the indictment are accusations only and the defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The United States Attorney commended the Vermont State Police, the St. Albans Police Department, the Swanton Police Department, the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the FBI for their excellent work on this investigation. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Timothy C. Doherty, Jr. The defendant is represented by Mark Kaplan from the Burlington law firm, Jarvis and Kaplan.