AUGUSTA (AP) – A state official has been cleared of wrongdoing for helping an Irish man get a Maine driver’s license that he used to buy a gun that was used in a Bangor bank robbery.

Robert O’Connell’s activities were questioned during the FBI’s investigation into the October 2006 armed robbery. Niall Clarke of Kilrush, Ireland, was later convicted and sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison.

O’Connell, head of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles licensing division, and Clarke met at a Boston bar on St. Patrick’s Day 2006. Clarke, who had a nonimmigrant visa at the time, told O’Connell he was having trouble getting a Massachusetts license.

O’Connell then told him how to get a license in Maine.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said an investigation by his office determined that O’Connell didn’t break any federal or state laws or department policies.