Florida armed bank robber sentenced to 78 months in prison

FLORIDA – A Florida man has been sentenced to 78 months for an armed bank robbery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has announced.

According to the statement, Herve Fils Viaud, 31, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas to 78 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release for robbing TD Bank in Delray Beach, Florida.

On February 1, 2022, Viaud reportedly walked into a TD Bank wielding a machete. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Viaud threatened to hurt several bank employees with the machete unless he was given money. Saying they feared for their lives, the employees gave Viaud approximately $1,234.

A bank customer called 911 and reported the getaway car used to leave the bank. Subsequently, the Delray Beach Police Department, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami Gardens Police Department pursued Viaud.

The three-county high-speed chase ended in a standoff in Miami Gardens. Viaud then was arrested and allegedly found in possession of ammunition, a federal crime for a convicted felon.

On August 10, 2022, Viaud pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery with the use of a dangerous weapon and one count of felon in possession of ammunition.

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Dewitt, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence.

FBI, West Palm Beach, investigated this case with cooperation and assistance from Delray Beach Police Department; Broward County Sheriff’s Office Burglary Apprehension Team; Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department; and Miami Gardens Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Shannon O’Shea Darsch prosecuted the case.