Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that yesterday Joseph Ametal (age 53), of Cranston, waived indictment and pleaded nolo contendere to one count of second degree robbery for the November 28, 2017 robbery of the Citizens Bank located at 10 West Shore Road, Warwick. Under the terms of the plea, Superior Court Magistrate John F. McBurney sentenced Ametal to 20 years with 10 years to serve and the remainder suspended with probation.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove that at approximately 1:15 p.m. on November 28, 2017, Ametal entered the Citizens Bank, where he approached a teller, advised her it was a robbery and demanded money. He escaped with 1,004 dollars.
Warwick Police identified Ametal as the suspect and he was arrested one week later.
"I commend the great work by the Warwick Police Department for quickly identifying the subject and arresting him without incident, as well as the cooperation from the United States Attorneys' Office for working closely with the police and our office in determining the best venue to prosecute this case. It is that cooperation between offices that leads to effective and swift prosecution of cases," said Attorney General Kilmartin.
Warwick Police Sergeant Eric Falcofsky led the investigation and Assistant Attorney General Jay Sullivan prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General. The United States Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.