Hyde Park man who has already served close to 20 years for armed robbery gets 7-year sentence for 2019 bank holdup

A federal judge yesterday sentenced Paul Whooten, 59, to seven years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to holding up a Rockland Trust branch on Truman Parkway with a realistic-looking replica assault rifle on Dec. 21, 2019.

According to the US Attorney's office:

After entering the bank, the defendant approached a teller, pointed the assault-rifle-style gun at her, and demanded that she give him "all of the money." The defendant provided the teller with a bag, and the teller and a coworker filled the bag with cash totaling $13,603. The teller then passed the bag back to the defendant, who dropped some of the money on the floor as he exited the bank. Shortly thereafter, the defendant was observed on the sidewalk, across and down the street from the bank, wearing clothes consistent with those observed during the robbery and holding what appeared to be a rifle in his hand. During a post-Miranda interview after his apprehension, when asked which bank was the last he had robbed, the defendant replied, "This one right here."

Federal prosecutors had asked for a nine-year sentence, arguing Whooten was an incorrigible armed robber who would break the law almost as soon as he was released from prison.

In 2000, Whooten was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to five counts related to the way he and an accomplice used what turned out to be a toy gun to rob a Bread and Circus store in Wayland of $10,000 the year before.

In 2011, he and an accomplice were charged with holding up a UPS store on Massachusetts Avenue in the Fenway, using a replica gun Whooten had crafted out of a nozzle and black duct tape.

Whooten's attorney, however, argued for a sentence just shy of six years. He said Whooten had long suffered from mental illness and substance abuse - and an incorrect diagnosis that meant he was taken the wrong prescription, one that only compounded the problem. He said a new treatment program at the Rhode Island federal lockup where he has been held have meant a dramatic improvement in his mental status - and that both Whooten's sister and daughter have pledged to help him once he leaves prison.