‘Drive-through’ bank robber gets six years
A Hartsville man who tried to rob a Hartsville bank in 2021 by going through the drive-through lane and sending a threatening note by pneumatic tube has been sentenced to six years in prison, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina.
Angel Luis Masdeu, 59, pleaded guilty to attempted bank robbery. Evidence presented to the court showed that on Feb. 25, 2021, Masdeu took a taxicab to a bank in Hartsville, where he directed the driver to enter the drive-through line and place an envelope in the pneumatic tube.
The bank teller received the envelope, which contained a torn, handwritten note demanding all money from all drawers and threatening to kill people and/or blow up the bank. The teller activated the alarm, and officers with the Hartsville Police Department were dispatched to the bank.
Officers located the taxicab and detained Masdeu. Upon searching the taxicab, officers located several envelopes matching the envelope that was used to send the note and part of a torn paper matching the tear on the note. Officers determined the taxi driver was not involved in the attempted robbery.
U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Masdeu to 72 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hartsville Police Department.