LOCKPORT – A Niagara Falls man was indicted Thursday in Niagara County Court for his alleged role in a City of Lockport bank robbery in March.
Joseph J. Trusello, 24, of Memorial Parkway, entered a plea of not guilty before Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas to third-degree robbery and third-degree grand larceny in connection with the robbery of an M&T Bank on Walnut Street on March 8. He remains held in Niagara County Jail on $25,000 bail, and a pretrial date was set for July 11.
Trusello allegedly shoved a holdup note across the counter to a bank teller at 10:56 a.m. March 8 and was recorded on the bank’s video surveillance camera. No weapon was used. Trusello left with a stack of currency.
Photos led to numerous tips from the public that resulted in the arrest of Trusello a few days later in a Niagara Falls halfway house where he told the court he had been seeking treatment for drug addiction. He also has a prior drug-related felony conviction.
Niagara Falls police assisted in the arrest, holding him for questioning by City of Lockport detectives. None of the cash was recovered, according to police.
A second man, James M. Williams, 30, of Tudor Lane, Lockport, who allegedly drove the getaway car, was arrested a day after Trusello in Niagara Falls and was charged in the City of Lockport with third-degree robbery, third-degree larceny and fifth-degree conspiracy. He has not been indicted.
Joseph J. Trusello, 24, of Memorial Parkway, entered a plea of not guilty before Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas to third-degree robbery and third-degree grand larceny in connection with the robbery of an M&T Bank on Walnut Street on March 8. He remains held in Niagara County Jail on $25,000 bail, and a pretrial date was set for July 11.
Trusello allegedly shoved a holdup note across the counter to a bank teller at 10:56 a.m. March 8 and was recorded on the bank’s video surveillance camera. No weapon was used. Trusello left with a stack of currency.
Photos led to numerous tips from the public that resulted in the arrest of Trusello a few days later in a Niagara Falls halfway house where he told the court he had been seeking treatment for drug addiction. He also has a prior drug-related felony conviction.
Niagara Falls police assisted in the arrest, holding him for questioning by City of Lockport detectives. None of the cash was recovered, according to police.
A second man, James M. Williams, 30, of Tudor Lane, Lockport, who allegedly drove the getaway car, was arrested a day after Trusello in Niagara Falls and was charged in the City of Lockport with third-degree robbery, third-degree larceny and fifth-degree conspiracy. He has not been indicted.