PORTLAND — A Westbrook man has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges relating to a chain of robberies which include two in Old Orchard Beach.

Travis Card, 38, pleaded guilty on Thursday in U.S. District Court to interfering and attempting to interfere with commerce by robbery, according to a press release from Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Conley.

The charges arose from an investigation into 11 armed and attempted armed robberies in the greater Portland area in March and April.

According to court records, Card, brandishing what appeared to be a firearm, robbed the Riverton Gas Station in Portland on March 20, the Lil’ Mart Gas Station in Falmouth on March 21, Good Things Variety in Westbrook on March 22, Express Mart in Cumberland on March 22, the Daily Grind in Westbrook on March 24, attempted to rob China Taste in Portland on March 25 and Subway in Westbrook on March 26. He also attempted to rob Aroma Joe’s in South Portland on March 27, China Eatery in Old Orchard Beach on March 29, Gulf Mart in Westbrook on April 6 and Moby Dick Variety in Old Orchard Beach on April 11.

The armed robbery reported on March 29 at the China Eatery Restaurant in Old Orchard Beach resulted in a $500 loss, according to a criminal complaint by FBI Agent Patrick Clancy filed in U.S. District Court.

The robber was reported as a thin white male, about five foot six to five foot eight inches tall, with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing black pants, a blue sweatshirt and a ski mask or scarf covering his face, according to Clancy.

At the April 11 incident at Moby Dick Variety and Motel in Old Orchard Beach, an employee reportedly grabbed a club and the potential robber ran out without obtaining any money, according to Clancey.

The potential robber was described as a white man, about 5 foot seven or eight inches tall with a “young voice,” wearing black clothing and sunglasses, a dark hat and a ski mask, according to Clancy.

The potential robber was seen on surveillance tape running to a truck that was similar to Card’s work truck, according to Clancy.

If convicted, Card faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each robbery or attempt, said Conley. He will be sentenced after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office, said Conley.

Cell phone data locates Card in the general areas of the robberies and attempted robberies at the time of the incidents, according to Clancy.

Police seized a black BB gun and and a pair of boots from Card’s apartment in Westbrook. The tread pattern was consistent with impressions in the snow at the reported April 6 robbery at Gulf Mart in Westbrook. Also, police found the voice of the robber in an audio recording from the Gulf Mart robbery similar to Card’s voice.

A discarded sneaker found in Westbrook on April 1, with DNA that matched Card’s, was similar in appearance and brand to those seen on the robber in video footage from a March 20 incident at the Riverton Gas Station in Portland. The sneaker treads matched footprints found in the snow in locations where three of the incidents occurred.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.