Accused bank robber waives bail hearing

BANGOR – The Portland man accused of robbing a bank at gunpoint near Bangor Mall waived his bail hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

Niall G. Clarke, 26, could seek bail at a later time, but most likely will remain in jail until his case is resolved.

Clarke may be a citizen of Ireland and in the U.S. illegally, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Lowell, but the accused bank robber’s immigration status was not revealed in the short hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk.

Defense attorney Richard Hartley of Bangor told the judge Tuesday that his client waived his right to the hearing because it was very likely the prosecution could meet the standards for detention, which could include having a permanent address and a third-party custodian who could make sure that the defendant appeared in court.

Clarke is expected to be indicted next month by a federal grand jury on charges of armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a federal crime of violence.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of 25 years in federal prison on the first charge and a mandatory consecutive seven-year sentence on the second. Each charge carries a potential fine of up to $250,000. If Clarke has been in the United States illegally, he would be deported after completing any prison sentence.

Clarke was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 less than half a mile from Kelly Road shortly after he allegedly robbed the Bank of America branch on Bangor Mall Boulevard.

Investigators have not released the amount of money taken in the robbery.