PROVIDENCE - Lenin Gutierrez, 40, of Cranston, was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for robbing a bank branch office located inside a Johnston supermarket on Dec. 30, 2016, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Johnston Police Chief Richard S. Tamburini and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the FBI.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered Gutierrez to serve 3 years supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence and to pay $2,500 restitution to Citizens Bank. Gutierrez pleaded guilty on April 27, 2017, to bank robbery, as charged in a federal indictment returned on Jan. 26, 2017. No plea agreement was filed in this matter.
The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 41-51months. The government recommended the court impose a sentence of 41 months in prison.
At the time of his guilty plea, Gutierrez admitted to the court that on Dec. 30, 2016, he entered a Citizens Bank branch office inside a Johnston supermarket while dressed in a beige jacket, black facemask, and a Spiderman hat and scarf. Gutierrez admitted that he handed a bank teller a hand-written note demanding cash and threatening to shoot the teller if the money was not handed over. After the teller gave Gutierrez $100 and $50 dollar bills, Gutierrez demanded more money. The teller then handed over $20 bills.
Gutierrez left the bank without showing a weapon.
According to court documents, responding Johnston Police officers searched the immediate area and located the black facemask, Spiderman hat and scarf, and beige jacket worn by Gutierrez during the robbery. Inside the jacket, officers located a note that said, “Robbery $100 and $50 Stacks only No die pack No Allarm. have A gun will use." An outer pocket contained a stack of $20 bills. Officers did not locate a firearm.
According to court documents, a fingerprint lifted from the note by Johnston Police detectives was matched to Lenin Gutierrez. Gutierrez has been detained since his arrest on January 5, 2017.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.
The FBI assisted Johnston Police in the investigation of this matter.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
