A Westbrook man linked to an armed robbery spree in March and April that stretched from Cumberland to Old Orchard Beach has been charged in U.S. District Court in Portland with interference with commerce by robbery in connection with the April 6 armed robbery of the Gulf Mart gas station on Bridgton Road in Westbrook.
Travis Jonathon Card, 38, was arrested April 13 and charged in state court with one county of Class A robbery. He is being held at the Cumberland County Jail unable to post $25,000 cash bail.
The affidavit filed in federal court links Card to at least 10 other robberies of gas stations, convenience stores and restaurants between March 22 and April 6.
Many of the facts made public at Card’s first appearance April 17 at the Cumberland County Courthouse are laid out in the federal affidavit. He is suspected of robberies on March 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 29, and April 6 and 11. Two robberies took place about 7 1/2 hours apart on March 22 at convenience stores in Westbrook and Cumberland.
In all, Card may have stolen nearly $3,000. The least amount of money the alleged robber got away with was $198.11 on March 21 from a Falmouth gas station. The most was during a robbery the next day when an estimated $650 to $700 was allegedly taken from a Cumberland convenience store.
On three occasions, the alleged robber left empty handed. The first time was on March 25 when “a possible language barrier” at Portland Chinese restaurant thwarted his efforts, according to the affidavit.
The robber also was unsuccessful when attempting to rob South Portland coffee shop at the drive-thru because the barista locked herself in the bathroom and he left. Finally, on April 11, a clerk at an Old Orchard Beach store grabbed a “club” and chased him out of the store, according to the affidavit.
Card has only been charged in connection with the April 6 robbery in Westbrook. The affidavit, however, lays out some evidence, including shoe and boot prints left in snow near the robbed stores, that is offered as probable cause for the robbery with which he has been charged.
Efforts to reach his attorney, Heather Gonzales of Portland, were unsuccessful Friday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office issued a news release announcing that Card had been charged but did not comment on it. It is the practice of federal prosecutors not to comment on pending cases.
His first appearance in federal court has not yet been set.
If convicted of the federal crime, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also could be ordered to pay restitution.
The maximum penalty for Class A robbery in state court is 30 years in prison. Card has previous convictions for burglary, theft and misdemeanor crimes.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, in conjunction with the Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth, Cumberland, South Portland and Old Orchard Beach police departments.
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