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The Berkshire County holdup happened Nov. 29, 2023, in Pittsfield, at the NBT Bank located on Merrill Road.
Pittsfield police said employees called 911 at around 5 p.m. saying a masked man had pulled a gun on them and demanded cash. The robber directed the tellers to lock the doors, close the blinds, and open the vault. He then ordered the employees to sit on the floor and zip-tied their hands in front of them, police said.
After grabbing all the cash he could from the vault and two teller drawers, the man fled with nearly $144,000.
The tellers eventually freed themselves and called 911. No employees or customers were injured during the ordeal.
On Wednesday, Feb. 7, police arrested 51-year-old Christopher Oliveri at his Worcester County home in Milford.
Detectives believe that Oliveri used a rented SUV to get from Milford to the Pittsfield bank and then back to Milford.
A search of his residence turned up numerous pieces of evidence linking him to the Pittsfield bank robbery, including clothing, bags, and more than $112,000 in cash, police said.
Detectives also recovered a firearm similar to the one used in the heist.
Oliveri was charged with armed and masked robbery, and two counts of firearm-armed kidnapping. Police said additional charges are likely.
He was expected to be transferred to the Pittsfield District Court for arraignment at a later date.
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