Dashawn Diaz

PROVIDENCE – A Providence man who previously admitted to a federal judge that he robbed five banks in Rhode Island within five weeks in early 2022, including three in three days, was last week sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

Dashawn Diaz, 24, admitted that on January 12, 13, and 14, 2022, and on February 1 and 8, 2022, he presented a note to tellers at various bank branches in Providence, Pawtucket, and East Providence announcing that he was robbing the bank. In at least one of the robberies, Diaz told a teller, “Hurry! Big bills only” as he presented a note that read “Armed Robbery.”

On March 2, 2023, Diaz pleaded guilty to five counts of bank robbery, admitting that on January 12, 2022, he robbed a Providence branch of Santander Bank of $7,100; on January 13, 2022, a Providence branch of Citizens Bank of approximately $2,700; on January 14, 2022, a branch of Citizens Bank in Pawtucket of $952; on February 1, 2022, a Santander Bank branch in Providence of $2,348; and on February 8, 2022, a TD Bank branch in East Providence of $3,167.

At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Diaz to thirty months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release. Diaz was ordered to pay restitution to the banks totaling $15,807.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zechariah Chafee.

The matter was investigated by the FBI and the Providence, Pawtucket, and East Providence Police Departments.

Diaz was one of two Providence men arrested by East Providence Police officers after their attempted robbery of the TD Bank Branch on Newport Avenue at about 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022.

Diaz later admitted to have handed a teller a note seeking money. The employee did so and the suspect left the premisses with an estimated $3,000. Members of the Patrol and Detective Divisions gathered evidence, viewed video footage and interviewed witnesses, learning the male suspect had fled the bank on foot across Newport Avenue.
Information was gathered regarding prior area bank robberies in the preceding weeks in which the same suspects were thought to be responsible.

Later in the day, Sgt. Andrew Dubois spotted one of the vehicles thought to be involved in the series of bank robberies traveling on Interstate 195 East and conducted a motor vehicle stop. Further investigation revealed the two occupants were involved in the series of robberies in neighboring cities and close associates of the suspect in the robbery occurring at the TD Bank branch.