Man sentenced for armed bank robbery in 2014
DARIEN — A Connecticut man was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for his role in an armed robbery at a Fairfield County bank, according to prosecutors.
George Bratsenis, 73, with a last known address in Bridgeport, was sentenced by Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven federal court to 96 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Bratsenis met his associate, Bomani Africa, while the two were incarcerated on robbery offenses in a New Jersey state prison, authorities said.
The pair, once out of prison, robbed a People’s United Bank branch on Old Kings Highway Road in Darien on April 20, 2014, authorities said.
The day of the robbery, authorities said Bratsenis dropped Africa off in downtown Darien and Africa walk into the bank, pulled out a gun, jumped over the counter and ordered a teller to open the drawers and hand over cash.
Prosecutors said Africa told the teller, “I will shoot you if you don’t give me all your money.” Africa left the bank with what officials described as a substantial amount of cash. Bratsenis picked Africa up nearby and they left the area, according to prosecutors.
Later that year, in September 2014, Bratsenis, Africa and Africa’s son, Randi Feliciano, conspired to rob another bank, officials said.
During the early morning hours of Sept. 25, 2014, Feliciano drove Africa from Philadelphia to a parking lot in Trumbull, where Africa stole a car from a victim at gunpoint around 8:30 a.m.
The next morning, prosecutors said, Africa and Bratsenis — wearing masks and brandishing guns — robbed a People’s United Branch bank on Madison Avenue in Trumbull. Prosecutors said they took nearly $30,000 in cash. They parked the car taken in the carjacking in a nearby parking lot and set it on fire.
Prosecutors said Feliciano drove Africa from the scene and followed Bratsenis to a Norwalk restaurant, where the three split up the funds from the Trumbull robbery. Feliciano then drove Africa back to Philadelphia.
Bratsenis was arrested on Sept. 28, 2014, in Trumbull and has remained in custody. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 18, 2019, to armed bank robbery. Prosecutors said he has a lengthy criminal history, which includes a federal conviction for armed bank robbery in April 1984.
Prosecutors said Bratsenis and Africa each pleaded guilty to murderfor-hire charges in New Jersey for allegedly committing a contract killing of an individual there on May 22, 2014. The pair await sentencing in that case.
On Dec. 13, 2014, Africa and Feliciano — wearing masks and armed with guns — robbed a First Niagara Bank branch on Hawley Lane in Stratford, taking more than $15,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
Africa was arrested in May 2015 and pleaded guilty that December to armed bank robbery. He awaits sentencing.
Feliciano pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced on Feb. 21, 2017, to 51 months in prison.