Robert Rustigan, New Fairfield Bank Robber, to Serve Three Years in Prison

DANBURY — A New Fairfield man will serve three years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to robbing a Webster Bank branch in that town earlier this year.

Robert Rustigan, 53, apologized before Judge Andrew Roraback in court after pleading guilty to one count of robbery in the second degree stemming from an incident at the Webster Bank branch on Brush Hill Road, New Fairfield, on Aug. 2.

"I didn't intend to intimidate anybody," he said, adding later that he has "had some time to re-calibrate my moral compass."

State police troopers responded to the bank just before 5 p.m. and learned an individual had given a note demanding money to a teller, though he never showed a weapon or implied that he had one.

Descriptions of the suspect led troopers to Rustigan's home, where he arrived moments later in the vehicle described to investigators by witnesses. Currency taken in the robbery were found on Rustigan and in his car, police said.

Rustigan's public defender provided context for the crime before Roraback imposed his sentence Wednesday, explaining that Rustigan had grown desperate to support his family of four and immediately after the robbery he delivered $400 to his landlord to prevent their eviction.

The judge sentenced Rustigan to eight years in prison suspended after three years followed by five years of probation.

source: blog.ctnews.com