Convicted Bank Robber On Federal Supervised Release Ordered Detained In Westerly Bank Robbery

PROVIDENCE, R.I. –Lawrence M. Sullivan, 38, was ordered detained today by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond, charged with allegedly robbing a branch office of the Washington Trust Company in Westerly on September 15, 2014, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Westerly Police Chief Edward W. St. Clair.

Sullivan is charged with one count of bank robbery.

According to court records, Sullivan allegedly approached a teller at the Washington Trust Company branch office, located inside a supermarket, and demanded cash. According to a teller, Sullivan threatened to “start shooting” if his demands were not met. No weapon was shown.

On September 16, 2014, Sullivan was arrested by Groton, Ct., police after he was discovered hiding inside a storage closet inside a local motel. Sullivan was returned to Rhode Island where he has been held in state custody.

According to court records, at the time of his arrest, Sullivan was serving a term of 3 years federal supervised release, having recently completed serving a 63-month federal prison sentence imposed in February 2010 for robbing two banks in Connecticut and one in Maine in 2008 and 2009. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in New Haven in December 2009 to two counts of bank robbery.

A criminal complaint 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.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.

The FBI and the Groton, Ct., Police Department assisted the Westerly Police Department in the investigation of this matter.

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