New Bedford convicted armed robber sentenced to prison

A 41-year-old New Bedford man with a lengthy history of criminal convictions was convicted last week of Armed/Masked Robbery and Larceny of a Motor Vehicle. He was sentenced to serve six to eight years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced. Jeffrey Raposo pleaded guilty to the charges in Fall River Superior Court.

On August 20, 2020, New Bedford Police were dispatched at 9:30 AM to Lucky 7 Convenience Store on Nash Road. Upon arrival, the clerk informed police that a masked man (defendant) entered the store, brandished a knife, and demanded money from the register. The clerk gave the defendant $250 from the register. The defendant then demanded that the clerk open the Massachusetts Lottery machine and give him the money in there. When the clerk said he couldn’t open it, the defendant went behind the counter and attempted to pry open the register with the knife, before eventually giving up and fleeing, Police located the defendant in the area. He matched the description of the suspect and was wearing the same clothes. The defendant admitted to the robbery and told the police where they could locate the knife he used that he previously discarded. The defendant told police he bought heroin with some of the money. The clerk indicated the defendant is a regular “customer” and is in the store often.

At the time of his arrest, he was out on bail for a pending larceny of a motor vehicle case. In that case, the defendant stole a motor vehicle from a New Bedford gas station parking lot on October 29, 2019. The defendant then drove the vehicle into Pawtucket, RI, where he eventually got into a crash and totaled the vehicle.

The defendant has a lengthy history with the court, riddled with convictions and prison sentences.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gillian Kirsch and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge William Sullivan. The defendant was also ordered to serve an additional two years of supervised probation.

“I am very pleased that these cases were resolved quickly and the defendant was held accountable. He committed the armed robbery while out on bail for stealing a car. The defendant is a career criminal who is a danger to the community and belongs off the street to protect society,” District Attorney Quinn said.