PROVIDENCE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.

PROVIDENCE –  A Providence man with nine previous criminal convictions, including convictions on firearms, fraud, aggravated identity theft, and domestic assault charges, was sentenced today to nearly five years in federal prison for robbing a downtown Providence bank in April 2021 while on federal supervised release, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Less than six months after his release from a twelve-year term of incarceration in federal prison, Roldy Francois, 38, brandished what appeared to be a firearm and threatened to “shoot this place up” as he robbed a downtown bank branch office. Providence Police located Francois using GPS trackers concealed in a stack of cash handed over to Francois, and he was arrested after a brief foot pursuit. Among the items dropped by Francois and recovered by police was a toy handgun.

Francois’ arrest followed a 144-month term of incarceration imposed for his 2011 conviction on four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm; one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; four counts of making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer in acquisition of firearms; four counts of possession of an identification document with intent to defraud the United States; and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Although prohibited from acquiring firearms by his 2007 conviction of felony domestic assault for stabbing his girlfriend in the leg, Francois illegally purchased five handguns using a stolen identity.

At the time of his arrest on these earlier charges, Francois pointed a handgun at U.S Marshals, causing a six-hour standoff with law enforcement prior to his being taken into custody.

At sentencing today on a charge of bank robbery and for violating the terms of federal supervised release, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith Sentenced Francois to fifty-seven months in federal prison to be followed by three years of federal supervised release – the first six months of supervised release to be served at a residential reentry center.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys G. Michael Seaman, Sandra R. Hebert, and Paul F. Daly, Jr. The matter was investigated by the Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the FBI.

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