PROVIDENCE — A Rhode Island man with a history of bank robberies was sentenced Thursday to nine years in federal prison for robbing four banks in a three-day period, officials said.
Vaughn Watrous, 48, received a 108-month sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose, along with one year of federal supervised release and an order to pay $4,775 in restitution to the victim banks.
Watrous pleaded guilty on April 24, 2024, to bank robbery charges stemming from heists at three banks in Providence and Cranston on January 19, 20, and 21, 2021, and an attempted robbery at a fourth bank in North Providence on January 21, 2021.
Court records show Watrous has an extensive history of bank robberies dating back to 1997, when he was convicted in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City and sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.
In 2003, he was convicted in U.S. District Court in Providence on two counts of bank robbery and received a 76-month sentence.
Watrous was later convicted in October 2015 on four counts of bank robbery and sentenced in February 2016 to 92 months in prison.
