Police Log

Daniel Kittredge
Posted 10/21/15

Providence man pleads guilty to bank robberies

A Providence man last week pleaded guilty in federal court to four counts of bank robbery in connection with heists in Cranston and Providence over …

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Providence man pleads guilty to bank robberies

A Providence man last week pleaded guilty in federal court to four counts of bank robbery in connection with heists in Cranston and Providence over four days in February 2013.

Vaughn Watrous, 38, is due to be sentenced Jan. 16, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha.

According to a statement from Neronha’s office, Watrous admitted to robbing the Sovereign Bank branches on North Main Street and Atwells Avenue in Providence, and on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston, on Feb. 11, 2013. He also admitted to robbing a Citizens Bank branch inside a supermarket on Garfield Avenue in Cranston on Feb. 14, 2013.

“In each instance, Watrous passed a note to a bank teller announcing the robbery, demanding large bills and instructing tellers not to trigger the bank alarm,” the statement from Neronha’s office reads.

“According to information presented to the court, Cranston police officers who responded to the robbery of the Citizens Bank branch office developed information that Watrous may have fled into a nearby store,” the statement continues. “Officers observed the defendant leaving that store and immediately arrested him. As they did, a large pile of cash fell to the ground. Additionally, officers recovered $690 hidden inside Watrous’ left shoe, $80 from inside his right front pocket and $240 from inside his left front pocket.”

Two indicted in alleged ATM skimming scheme

A federal grand jury has indicted two men in connection with an alleged ATM skimming scheme, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha.

Noises Morales Cano, 31, of Astoria, N.Y., and Carlos Cisneros, 53, of Jackson Heights, N.Y., are charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Morales Cano was arrested in Queens, N.Y., on Sept. 9, and has been detained since his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Providence on Sept. 18, according to a statement from Neronha’s office.

Cisneros is the subject of a federal arrest warrant, and it is believed he has fled to Ecuador.

The two men are accused of attaching skimming decides to ATMs at banks in several Rhode Island communities, and at least two Connecticut communities, between Jan. 1 and April 4 of this year. Skimming devices are designed to unknowingly intercept customers’ debit card information, which is later re-encoded onto counterfeit cards. Personal identification numbers, or PINs, are also obtained through the process.

Authorities allege the scheme “resulted in the theft of personal information skimmed from debit cards belonging to more than 1,300 individuals and the loss of more than $709,000.”

Man indicted on burglary charges

The Providence County Grand Jury has indicted a Cranston man in connection with a pair of December 2011 burglaries in the city, according to the office of Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin.

Anthony Meo, 45, of 230 Flint St., is charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of receiving stolen goods worth more than $500.

Meo was considered a dangerous fugitive when he was arrested in December 2011 following a raid on a home in Providence. At the time, he was a suspect in two break-ins in Cranston. The suspect in that incident had led police on a high-speed pursuit, crashing on Route 195 in Providence before fleeing on foot and eluding capture.

According to the statement from Kilmartin’s office, Meo was in possession of stolen property at the time of his arrest.

Meo’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 4 in Providence Superior Court.

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