Former cop sentenced in local robberies

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced last week that a retired New York City police officer was given five years in prison for the robbery of three Nassau County banks in 2008.

Athelson Kelson, 61, a resident of St. Albans, Queens, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery back in February, and was sentenced on April 1. Kelson, according to published reports, had fallen on hard times after retiring from the New York Police Department, gone through a divorce, and been diagnosed with liver cancer.

Kelson admitted his culpability for several robberies of bank chains in Franklin Square, West Hempstead and New Hyde Park during the summer of 2008. He was also allegedly connected to several robberies on the other side of the border in Queens.

He became known in media reports as the "bling bandit" because of his propensity to wear jewelry up to the teller window while carrying out his crimes. He also often hid his identity using sunglasses.

Despite his comical nickname, Kelson's crimes were taken very seriously by authorities, in particular because he used a handgun to intimidate the bank teller during his first robbery in Nassau County.

Kelson robbed a Chase bank branch in Franklin Square with a handgun on July 7, 2008. Just under a month later, he robbed a Bank of America branch in New Hyde Park and another Chase in West Hempstead, on Aug. 4 and Aug. 26, respectively.

During every robbery, Kelson would hand a note to a bank employee instructing them to hand over cash without alerting police.

It was clear often from the substance of his threats, that his time on the police force had fed his ability to perpetrate robberies.

"Do not press the alarm. Give me all the large bills in your drawer," a note read during one of his robberies. "I have a gun, I do not want to hurt anyone, no dye, no bait money, you have ten seconds."

On all three occasions, he walked away from the banks he victimized with over $1,000, and once with $6,000.

“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,” Rice said in a statement after the sentencing. “My office was fully prepared to take this case to trial before the defendant admitted his guilt.”