BANGOR – One of five men involved in an armed robbery at a Waterville motel 21/2 years ago was sentenced to nearly 28 years in prison Thursday.

Dennis Mooney, 22, had a long criminal history before the strong-arm robbery in November 2000, and that history moved him into heavier sentencing territory, according to a court official.

The sentencing took place at U.S. District Court in Bangor. U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal presided. Technically, Mooney received 210 months on a conviction of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by committing robbery. He received an additional 120 months – 10 years – after being convicted of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Mooney, of New Bedford, Mass., was one of five males charged in the Nov. 27, 2000, crime that involved tying up and terrorizing a young male clerk who was on night duty at the Budget Host Airport Inn when the robbery occurred. The crime garnered statewide publicity after one of the men escaped and ran across Interstate 95 near Portland when confronted by gun-toting state police.

Mooney was convicted at a trial last fall. Others involved were either sentenced as juveniles or await sentencing.