Chelsea Man Arrested for Armed Robberies of Three Local Banks

BOSTON – A Chelsea man was arrested today in connection with the armed robberies of banks in Weymouth, Jamaica Plain and Hyde Park.  

Keywan Kelly, 29, was charged with three counts of armed bank robbery. Kelly was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 2 p.m. today.

According to the charging documents, at approximately 11:52 a.m. on July 1, 2024, a male – later allegedly identified as Kelly – entered a Bank of America branch in Weymouth wearing gloves and a medical mask. Kelly allegedly approached a teller window and pushed a handwritten note towards the teller demanding $20,000 and threatened that he would  “kill you all,” while pointing a firearm at the teller. It is alleged that the teller then handed Kelly $15,000, after which Kelly demanded more and the teller gave him additional cash of approximately $4,000 to $5,000 before leaving the bank. During the robbery, Kelly allegedly made verbal threats such as, “Run that s**t before I blow this place up” and “I’ll kill all of you.”

Similarly, at approximately 1:41 p.m. on July 16, 2024, a male – later allegedly identified as Kelly – entered the Rockland Trust Bank in Jamaica Plain wearing a black balaclava style mask, black clothing and white latex gloves. Kelly allegedly approached the teller window and handed the teller a note that read, “I need 20K no DyPacks I have 4 bombs I’ll Kill everyone make quick,” while brandishing a firearm. Kelly allegedly fled the bank on foot after receiving approximately $2,480 in cash from the teller. 

It is further alleged that, at approximately 10:09 a.m. on July 26, 2024, a male – later allegedly identified as Kelly – entered another Rockland Trust Bank branch in Hyde Park, again wearing a black balaclava style mask and gloves. There, Kelly allegedly handed the teller a handwritten note that included words to the effect of, “you’re being robbed give me cash,” before pointing a firearm at the teller. It is alleged that Kelly verbally threatened to “shoot” and demanded $20,000. Upon receiving approximately $3,000 in cash, Kelly took back the demand note and fled the bank. 

A subsequent investigation allegedly identified Kelly on the Weymouth bank’s video surveillance and identified Kelly’s fingerprints on the vehicle used as a getaway car following the Weymouth robbery. The investigation also allegedly revealed connections between Kelly and vehicles that were identified as being in the vicinity of the Jamaica Plain and Hyde Park banks at the time of the robberies. Cell phone location data allegedly revealed that Kelly’s cell phone was present in the vicinity of each of the banks near the time of the robberies.  

The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $ 250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston and Weymouth Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.