Patrick Richelieu of Maine was down on his luck. His answer to a failing business and financial woes was to rob banks and gamble at Foxwoods Resort Casino, police said.
Just how many banks he robbed is the source of an ongoing investigation.
Richelieu, 41, was arrested by warrant Friday in connection with the last of three bank robberies in Windham and New London counties police said he committed during a one-week span in 2006. His total take from the robberies was an estimated $51,519.
The FBI said Richelieu is a suspect in a total of seven robberies in Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
His spree in Connecticut ended Dec. 6 when state trooper John Jette nabbed Richelieu exiting the Putnam Saving Bank branch in Griswold, police said. Richelieu was still wearing a mask and carrying a garbage bag containing more than $11,000, police said.
Hours earlier Richelieu said he lost $800 playing blackjack at Foxwoods. The story seemed to fit a recent pattern, detectives learned. Police matched Foxwoods gambling activity to robbery dates and said they found a clear connection.
On the same day as the Nov. 30, 2006, robbery at Westbank branch in Putnam and the Dec. 4, 2006, robbery at Putnam Savings Bank branch in Plainfield, Richelieu had gambled at Foxwoods before and after the time of the robberies.
Richelieu told investigators his business, Serenity Homes, was doing poorly and he owed money to his subcontractors. He had gambled regularly at Foxwoods since October 2006 in an attempt to recoup money, he told police.
State Police Sgt. John Szamocki, supervisor of the Eastern District Major Crime Unit at Troop D in Danielson, said it was not by chance a Montville state trooper was stationed near a bank at the time of Richelieu's arrest.
Detectives had immediately noted the similarities in the two Windham county robberies. Both were close to Interstate 395. Both occurred around closing time and the suspect had worn a mask and displayed similar mannerisms in each.
"We had aggressive patrols by undercover detectives in a coordinated effort," Szamocki said. "We were watching."
Richelieu was on federal parole when the robberies occurred. His criminal history includes convictions for two counts of first-degree assault, violation of parole, two counts bank fraud and identity theft.
He remains held at Corrigan Correction Institution in Montville in connection with the robbery charges and is scheduled to appear Feb. 8 in Norwich Superior Court.
State Police where watching!
CSPAAA News
Trooper intercepts robbery suspect at Griswold bank
GRISWOLD - Police said Patrick Richelieu chose the wrong time to rob a bank.
When the 40-year-old from Kennebunkport, Maine walked into the Putnam Savings Bank on Voluntown Road in Griswold shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Montville state police Trooper John Jette already had his eye on him.
Jette, a detective with the State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad, was on a routine holiday patrol in an unmarked vehicle. He was acutely aware of two other bank robberies in the past week, both occurring around 5 p.m.
As Jette approached the bank, police said Richelieu was inside, where he had donned a ski mask. Implying he had a weapon, police said Richelieu demanded money from the bank clerk.
Richelieu was still wearing the mask when Jette confronted him at gunpoint at the bank's entrance. The cash was recovered and Richelieu was taken into custody.
"Jette was alert. He saw suspicious behavior ... something he was trained to look for, and acted," said Lt. Louis J. Fusaro Jr., commander of Troop E in Montville.
State police Sgt. William Bundy, with the Eastern District Major Crime Squad, said detectives already are looking into any possible link between Wednesday's robbery and two others in the past week. It's too early to speculate, he said.
Richelieu was charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree larceny. He is being held on $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear today in Norwich Superior Court.
"We try to be proactive with these patrols," Bundy said. "In light of the robberies going on, the bank was obviously one of our priorities. (Jette) saw this guy, and obviously he didn't look right to him."
Bundy said police are aware certain businesses may be easier targets than others, especially when they have easy access to the highway.
Across the parking lot of the shopping plaza outside Dollar Tree, Jon Blondin of Jewett City shook his head.
"I just think it's funny they think they can get away with it," Blondin said.
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