Clinton Man Sentenced to Almost Six Years for Pharmacy Robbery

Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that James J. Senior, 40, of Clinton, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 71 months in prison and three years of supervised release for pharmacy robbery.  He was also ordered to pay restitution.  Senior pleaded guilty on June 11, 2015.

Court records show that on March 31, 2015, Senior entered the Rite Aid Pharmacy in Newport, Maine, approached the pharmacy counter, presented a note that demanded oxycodone and threatened that employees would be harmed if they did not comply.  While Senior waited, he told the employees to “hurry up” and “get moving.”  He absconded with three bottles of oxycodone and hydrocodone-ibuprofen pills. 

Law enforcement officers released a video of the robbery.  After receiving a tip, they confirmed that Senior was the robber by comparing the video footage to a known photograph of Senior.  Officers also recovered the three pill bottles that Senior had discarded a short distance from the pharmacy.  The next day, Senior surrendered to the Waterville Police Department and admitted that he was the robber.

In imposing sentencing, Judge Woodcock noted the defendant’s “horrendous” criminal history involving 17 convictions -- including felony drug trafficking and felony assault and battery convictions -- and the “chilling” nature of the robbery. 

The investigation was conducted by the Newport Police Department, the Maine State Police, the Waterville Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.