PORTLAND

Joseph Richards, 47, of Manchester, New Hampshire, who was convicted of robbing four banks including one in Freeport, will spend the next 15 years in prison.

The sentence was announced Wednesday by United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II.

Richards was sentenced in U. S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release for armed bank robbery.

The charges arose from the Aug. 3, 2015 armed bank robbery of Norway Savings Bank in Freeport; the Aug. 14, 2015 armed bank robbery of Franklin Savings Bank in Franklin, New Hampshire; the Sept. 4, 2015 armed bank robbery of University Credit Union in Portland; and the Sept. 12, 2015 armed bank robbery of TD Bank in Lewiston.

Delahanty’s office stated that, according to court records, Richards used a pellet gun in each robbery and absconded with $5,854 in Freeport, $13,240 in New Hampshire, $12,308 in Portland and $9,888 in Lewiston.

At the time of the robberies, Richards was on federal supervised release for a 2003 federal bank robbery conviction in New Hampshire, for which he received a 12-and-a-half-year sentence.

On July 28, one of Richards’ co-conspirators, Neil West, Sr., of Portland, was found guilty following a jury trial in U.S. District Court of armed bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery arising out of the University Credit Union and TD Bank robberies. West served as the getaway driver for both robberies. The TD Bank robbery resulted in a highspeed chase which culminated in Saco. Following the chase, West and Richards were arrested.

Before imposing sentence, Chief Judge Torresen stated the seriousness of these offenses is impossible to overstate. People’s lives were put at risk. The emotional harm that the tellers suffered will last a lifetime.

The joint investigation was conducted by numerous departments and agencies. They include police departments in Franklin, New Hampshire; Manchester, New Hampshire; Freeport, Portland, Lewiston, Old Orchard Beach and Saco as well as the Maine State Police.

Also participating, the Southern Maine Gang Task Force comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Portland, South Portland, Lewiston and Biddeford Police Departments.