"Ponytail Bandit" Sentenced for Robbing 4 Banks in 4 Days

CRANSTON, RI—A man dubbed the “ponytail bandit” who went on a week-long bank robbery spree in 2013 has been sentenced to 92 months in federal prison.

Vaughn Watrous, 39, of Providence, robbed four banks in four days in Cranston and Providence and was finally arrested after his final robbery attempt by a swarm of Cranston and Providence police officers who boxed him in outside a Citizens Bank with a wad of cash in his lap, stuffed in his pocket and in his left shoe.

Watrous was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr., who also ordered him to complete a year of supervised released upon his release.

He also was ordered to pay back $4,850 to the banks he admitted to robbing when he pleaded guilty on Oct. 16, 2015 to four counts of bank robbery, according to U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha in a news release.

In each robbery, Watrous passed a note to the teller demanding “large bills and instructing tellers not to trigger the bank alarm,” Neronha said.

Watrous, who has previously served time for bank robbery convictions, was wanted for two robberies in Providence and a robbery at a Sovereign Bank on Reservoir Avenue when he got in line at the Citizens Bank located inside the Stop & Shop at the Cranston Parkade on Garfield Avenue.

According to a police report, one of the bank clerks saw Watrous standing in line looking down at his cell phone. When he got to the window, the note demanded money: “This is a robbery, no alarms, all big bills.” He then hurried out toward the exit, cash in hand.

At the same time, police were quickly alerted that the bank had just been robbed and officers on patrol were given his description.

Police flooded the shopping plaza and began to canvass the sprawling strip mall adjacent to Route 10, checking store by store and gathering surveillance footage. A short time later, officers saw a person matching Watrous’ description walking out of aTJ Maxx and get into a vehicle parked out front. Officers swarmed and boxed the car in, demanding Watrous and an accomplice and alleged lookout, So Te, 40, of West Warwick, get out of the vehicle. They resisted, so officers pulled them from the car.

In addition to the bank robberies, Watrous and Te also attempted to rob Compare Foods on Broad Street but Watrous fled when the clerk hesitated. He was identified in a subsequent photo array by the store clerk.

The investigation by Cranston and Providence police was aided by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In a statement on the department’s Facebook page, Cranston police said “Many detectives, including members of the Special Investigations Unit, and patrol officers played crucial roles in apprehending the subject and providing evidence, which resulted in a lengthy Federal prison term of 92 months being imposed.”

The department mentioned several officers by name:

• Lieutenant Michael Pezzullo
• A/Sergeant Anthony Sassone-McHugh
• Sergeant Jeffrey Chapman
• Detective Paula Duffy
• Detective William Palmer
• Detective PJ Bessette
• Officer Ross Manzotti
• Officer Daniel Dempsey
• Officer Ashley Hardy
• Officer Austin Smith