Man pleads guilty in Cranston, Cumberland bank heists

Posted 3/20/14

Joseph G. Petrarca, 50, of Cumberland, admitted to robbing the Citizens Bank branch office in Cumberland of $1,764 on Dec. 26, 2012, and to robbing the Washington Trust Company branch office in Cranston of $9,595 on Jan. 15, 2013.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Man pleads guilty in Cranston, Cumberland bank heists

Posted

A Cumberland man has pleaded guilty in connection with a pair of bank robberies, including a January 2013 heist in Cranston.

Joseph G. Petrarca, 50, entered the plea on two counts of armed bank robbery in U.S. District Court, according to a press release from the office of U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha. Under the terms of the plea deal, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of up to 12 years in federal prison when Petrarca next appears in court in June.

Petrarca admitted to robbing the Citizens Bank branch office in Cumberland of $1,764 on Dec. 26, 2012, and to robbing the Washington Trust Company branch office in Cranston of $9,595 on Jan. 15, 2013.

According to the U.S. attorney, Petrarca handed a note to a teller at the Washington Trust branch that said, in part, “I have a gun and I will shoot you” and warned “Watch my hand it has a gun in it.” The teller told police the robber did show the handle of a gun after pulling it from a satchel or briefcase. No gun was shown in the Citizens Bank robbery, although the robber in that incident also handed a teller a note indicating he was armed.

Petrarca was arrested in connection with the Washington Trust heist on Jan. 19, 2013. During a subsequent search of his home, Cumberland police found jeans identical to those worn by the Citizens robber, as well as sweatshirts matching those worn in the two heists. Gloves and a knit hat found in Petrarca’s car were also similar to clothing worn in the robberies, while a piece of stained floor carpeting in the vehicle matched the dye used in the bank dye packs.

The FBI assisted Cranston and Cumberland Police in the investigation.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here