A former West Haven resident has pleaded guilty to robbing banks in Utah and Colorado, admitting that he used a toy gun to intimidate tellers in one of the heists, a federal prosecutor said.
James Richitelli, 34, entered the guilty pleas Wednesday in federal court in New Haven, said U.S. Attorney Stanley A. Twardy Jr. Earlier this month, Richitelli pleaded guilty to stealing $3,421 from the New Haven Savings Bank branch in East Haven on June 3, 1988. He was indicted four days after that robbery.In a hearing before U.S. District Judge Ellen B. Burns, Richitelli pleaded guilty to robbing $5,107 from First Federal Savings & Loan in Salt Lake City on May 11, 1988. He also pleaded guilty to taking $3,909 from the Silverado Bank in Denver on May 19, 1988.