Pair Arraigned in Federal Court for West Greenwich Armed Bank Robbery
Defendants Allegedly Accosted Bank Employees at Gunpoint Before Robbing the Bank of a Large Sum of Cash
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 28, 2011 |
PROVIDENCE, RI—Two men indicted by a federal grand jury on bank robbery and firearm charges in connection with the armed holdup of a West Greenwich, R.I. bank on May 28, 2011, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Providence, it was announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
Louis R. Peters III, 22, of West Topsham, Vt., and Craig A. Carey, 42, of Fall River, Mass., were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. If convicted, Peters and Carey face maximum sentences of five years in prison for conspiracy; 25 years’ imprisonment for bank robbery; and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years up to life imprisonment for brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence—to be served consecutive to all other sentences imposed.
According to court documents and information presented to the Court, it is alleged that Peters and Carey accosted the manager of the Centreville Savings Bank branch on Victory Highway at gunpoint as the manager prepared to enter the bank. Once inside, it is alleged the defendants detained other employees as they entered the bank and robbed the bank of a large sum of money.
Shortly after the suspects fled the bank, two West Greenwich officers and a Rhode Island State Police trooper located one of the suspects sitting in a vehicle parked behind a nearby building, and the second walking a short distance away. Both men have been detained since their arrest.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch. The matter was investigated by West Greenwich Police, Rhode Island State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.