By Ivan Pereira
The so-called “bling bandit,” the decorated former cop from St. Albans who robbed several banks in Queens and Long Island, was sentenced for his 2008 spree in Nassau Criminal Court Thursday.
Athelson Kelson, 61, will be spending five years in prison for several robbery charges, said Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Kelson, who earned his nickname for the expensive watches he would wear during his robberies, admitted in February to stealing thousands of dollars from several bank branches in Nassau between July and August 2008.
“Violent crime will not be tolerated in Nassau County, and my office will do everything possible to ensure that our neighborhoods are safe from defendants like this,” the DA said in a statement.
During one of the bank robberies, the retired NYPD detective, who received several honors for his service during the Vietnam war, was armed with a handgun, according to the DA.
Kelson, who lived in St. Albans, is awaiting trial in Queens for bank robberies in the borough that he allegedly committed during his spree.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
