New Bedford Man Sentenced for 2013 Armed Bank Robbery

A New Bedford man will be spending over a decade in prison in connection with a bank robbery.

The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office says 36-year-old David Frates was sentenced this week to 11 years in prison, with five years of supervised release, and must pay $1,098 in restitution.

Earlier this year, Frates pleaded guilty to robbing the St. Anne's Credit Union in New Bedford in September of 2013. In the robbery, Frates wore a mask and threatened tellers with what appeared to be a semi-automatice firearm, and fled the scene with $1,098 in cash. He was arrested a few days later. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun.