A Dorchester man with a lengthy criminal record has been indicted in connection with the robbery of a Santander Bank branch in East Boston earlier this year.
Federal prosecutors say 58-year-old Joseph Wilcox was charged by a grand jury on October 23, 2025, with one count of bank robbery. He was first arrested on a criminal complaint on October 1 and has been held in federal custody since.
Authorities allege Wilcox entered the bank on September 6 around 11:40 a.m. and handed a teller a note demanding cash. The note read, “give me all 20’s,” and included a threat. When the teller told him there were no $20 bills available, he allegedly ordered the teller to take money from a cash box instead. The teller turned over $4,150, according to court filings.
Investigators later identified Wilcox after he allegedly deposited nine $100 bills into his own Santander account at another branch. Surveillance images from that transaction reportedly matched footage of the robbery suspect. A Registry of Motor Vehicles photo also matched the description provided by the teller, prosecutors said.
Wilcox’s criminal history includes a 2015 federal conviction for three bank robberies, a 2010 state conviction for unarmed robbery, and a 2004 state conviction for armed robbery.
The federal bank robbery charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of as much as $250,000. A U.S. district judge will determine any sentence based on federal sentencing guidelines.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks announced the indictment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit.
