Providence man accused of Fall River and Boston bank robberies held on bail

BOSTON — A Providence man with a history of bank robbery convictions was ordered held in lieu of bail today after being charged with robbing Boston banks and attempting to rob a third, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

59-year-old William Sequeira was charged in Boston Municipal Court Central with two counts of armed robbery of a bank and one count of attempted armed robbery of a bank. Judge Tracy- Lee Lyons ordered Sequeira held on $50,000 bail and ordered him to stay away from Boston and stay away from the banks involved. Sequeira will return to court November 3 for a pre-trial hearing.

Assistant District Attorney Daniel Nucci said that at 2:35 pm on September 27 Boston police officers responded to a robbery call at Santander Bank on Berkeley Street. Officers were told that a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a white surgical mask told the teller “give me a hundred dollar bill or I’ll shoot you.” No handgun was shown. The robber left the bank with $500.

The next day, September 28, officers were called to a bank robbery at M&T Bank on Boylston Street. They were told that a man had entered the bank at about 3:55 pm and demanded money, saying “I’m going to put a gun to your head if you don’t give me $100 bills.” The suspect left the bank with $388.

On Wednesday, October 5, a man matching the description of the suspect in the two prior robberies was apprehended by members of a joint violent crime task force who had the Citizens Bank at 426 Boylston Street under surveillance. Task force members saw the man, identified as Sequeira, walk from one teller’s desk to another repeatedly demanding “give me hundreds” and placed him under arrest.

Seqeira has served long prior sentences for bank robbery.

“This is a person who has clearly not learned from his prior arrests and convictions. Thanks to diligent investigative work he was apprehended before anyone got injured,” Hayden said.

According to Fall River Police Sergeant Moses Pereira, on Monday September 26, FRPD responded to Citizens Bank located at 501 Rodman St. in response to a reported bank robbery.

Upon arrival, a bank employee explained to Officer Pires that an unknown white male, wearing a face covering approached her teller window and demanded money from her cash drawer. Sequeira was also charged in this robbery.