Declassified New Bedford Bank Robber Gets Reduced Sentenced

A former resident of New Bedford was resentenced this week in federal court for a 2013 armed bank robbery after his status as a "career offender" was vacated by a judge.

David A. Frates, 41, was resentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 84 months in prison and five years of supervised release, according to a media release from the U.S. Dept. of Justice. Frates was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,098.

Frates was originally sentenced in July 2016 to 11 years in prison after he was classified as a career offender. In 2018, that classification was vacated by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and he was ordered resentenced.

On Sept. 24, 2013, Frates, who was masked and armed with what appeared to be a semi-automatic firearm, entered a branch of the St. Anne’s Credit Union in New Bedford. Once inside, Frates approached a teller, pointed the firearm at a teller and demanded money. The teller complied and Frates fled the scene.

Surveillance cameras and witness interviews identified Frates as a possible suspect. A week later, police recovered items involved in the robbery, including a black BB gun. Frates was later located and arrested for the robbery.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.