New Haven Man Admits Committing 6 Bank Robberies in Connecticut and New York

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JUAN CRUZ, 38, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to one count of bank robbery and admitted that he committed a total of six bank robberies in Connecticut and New York last year.

According to court documents and statements made in court, CRUZ robbed the Santander Bank at 215 Grand Avenue in New Haven on October 15, 2015; the Wells Fargo Bank at 205 Church Street in New Haven on October 20, November 7 and November 21, 2015; the Bank of America at 157 Church Street in New Haven on November 9, 2015, and the Citizens Bank at 10 North Pearl Street in Albany, N.Y., on November 20, 2015.  CRUZ stole a total of approximately $18,830 during the robbery spree.

CRUZ was arrested on November 21, 2015, in Chicopee, Mass.  He has been detained since his arrest.

Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for December 20, 2016, at which time CRUZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Haven Police Department, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, Chicopee (Mass.) Police Department and Albany (N.Y.) Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.