Serial Bank Robber Sentenced To 10 Years

Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Matthew Donald Lynch Maxwell (29, Tampa) to 10 years in federal prison for a series of bank robberies. As part of his sentence, the Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $123,315, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. Maxwell pleaded guilty on December 16, 2014.

According to court documents, beginning on November 2, 2013, and continuing until June 21, 2014, Maxwell robbed 10 federally insured banks in the State of Florida.  Throughout the course of the robberies, he stole the banks’ money through force, violence, and by means of intimidation, including restraining bank tellers by duct taping their hands behind their backs, telling bank tellers that he would detonate a bomb if his demands were not met, and pepper spraying a witness who followed him out of a bank.  In an effort to evade investigators, Maxwell frequently changed his modus operandi. For example, he used several disguises, including an Albert Einstein Halloween mask and a full body painter’s suit. Maxwell also spoke in different accents when robbing the banks and utilized several different getaway vehicles.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.