Florida Man Admits to Engaging in Weeklong Robbery Spree

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT ABEL, 55, of St. Augustine, Florida, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of bank robbery and also admitted to two armed robberies in Florida and a carjacking in South Carolina.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 11, 2017, ABEL, brandishing a long silver blade, robbed a McDonald’s restaurant in East Palm Coast, Florida.  On February 12, brandishing a long knife, he robbed a CVS in St. Augustine, Florida.  ABEL stole a total of approximately $733 during these two robberies.

On February 15, ABLE stole a car from a woman in South Carolina, ordering the victim not to move or he would shoot her.

On February 17, ABEL stole $1,517 during a robbery of a Webster Bank branch in Stratford.  He then attempted to rob a Walgreens Pharmacy in Stratford, but left the store without any money.

ABEL has been detained since his arrest by the Milford Police Department on February 17, 2017.

ABEL is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on January 31, 2018, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Stratford Police Department and Milford Police Department, with the assistance of the Summerville (S.C.) Police Department, St. Augustine Police Department and the Flagler County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.