Fall River Robbery Spree Suspect Sentenced

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Fall River man who committed five separate robberies in a span of 48 hours has been sentenced to serve five to seven years in state prison.

According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Matthew Rodrigues, 34, pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with four counts of unarmed robbery and one count of masked/armed robbery.

Rodrigues first robbed the BayCoast Bank in Fall River on October 27, 2021 at around 1:40 p.m. He then robbed the Santander Bank in Raynham about three hours later.

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The next day, at around 9:45 p.m., a masked Rodrigues entered a Shell gas station in Fall River and approached the clerk, displaying a handgun in his waistband. He then told the clerk, “Give me the money and don’t press that panic button.”

A day later, on October 29, 2021, Rodrigues robbed a St. Anne’s Credit Union in Fall River at 9:20 a.m., followed by a BankFive in the city just before noon.

“The defendant went on a robbery spree, which included an armed robbery while masked with a firearm. He clearly presents a danger to the community and needs to be kept off the street to protect the public,” District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said.