Caio Costa, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 90 months in prison and five years of supervised release. On July 26, 2022, Costa pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of using and carrying a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.
On Sept. 25, 2020, Costa, armed with a loaded revolver and donning a black motorcycle helmet, entered a branch of the Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury. Inside the bank, Costa brandished a black revolver and stole over $7,000. Costa then fled on a motorcycle leading to a high-speed chase with law enforcement, reaching speeds up to 100 m.p.h. Costa eventually crashed the motorcycle in Lawrence and escaped on foot. Law enforcement later located the motorcycle helmet and clothing consistent with that worn by Costa during the robbery. The next day, Costa was arrested at a Salem, N.H. motel at which time he was in possession of a large sum of cash.
During an interview with law enforcement, Costa admitted to robbing the Salem Five Bank three days earlier and committing other armed bank robberies between August and September 2020. He also directed law enforcement to a dumpster where a loaded black revolver, black gloves, a black backpack and other items of clothing used during the robbery were recovered.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan; Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan M. Columbus; Barry Golner, Interim Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department; Wilmington Police Chief Joseph Desmond; and Chelmsford Police Chief James M. Spinney made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.