A serial bank robber has been sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison after committing several bank robberies while on supervised release for a previous robbery conviction.
Raul Reyes-Vazquez, 50, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza after pleading guilty to the crimes on May 16, 2022.
In February of that year, Reyes-Vazquez committed two bank robberies in Orlando, threatening to shoot employees if they did not comply with his demands for money. He obtained a total of $47,895 ($4,200 and $43,695), with nearly $20,000 being recovered by law enforcement when he was arrested two days later.
Reyes-Vazquez had previously been convicted of bank robbery in 2008 and in 2019 for a series of robberies in 2006. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
It was part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which aims to decrease violent crime in communities through a comprehensive approach that includes investigations, prosecutions, prevention, and re-entry efforts. More details here.