BOSTON – A wily bank robber who police said made is escape in under 30 seconds after eight area hold-ups pleaded guilty to bank robebry charges here Monday.
Dimitri Long, 34, dubbed the U-30 Bandit because of his speed, hit the Ukrainian CU in Dedham in May 2009, Sharon CU in June 2009 and six other institutions within a two month period, according to police.
Long was aided by his half-brother, Michael Coty, who drove the getaway car after each of the robberies. Coty was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in October.
Long is scheduled to be sentenced in February.
During each of the eight robberies, Long would enter the credit union or bank wearing a mask and carrying a black semi-automatic handgun and commit the robbery. In three of the robberies, Long placed a device resembling a bomb on the counter. Investigators later determined the devices were a hoax. Employees noted that during each robbery the robber was communicating with someone outside the bank through a portable walkie-talkie device. The person outside the bank was later determined to be Coty.
