FBI seeks public help in identifying ‘Bearded Bandit’; robber hit four banks in R.I. and Mass.

By Sarah N. Mattero, Globe Correspondent

The FBI’s Boston office is seeking the public’s help in identifying the “Bearded Bandit,” a serial bank robber who is allegedly responsible for four robberies since February.

The Bearded Bandit has hit three banks in Rhode Island and one in Massachusetts. In three of the robberies, he said he had a firearm. In all the robberies, he threatened to harm the tellers.

The man is said to be 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall, Caucasian, and middle-aged. He has a dark beard with long dark hair that he sometimes tucks into a baseball cap or a blue knit hat. He is usually wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants.

He flees on foot every time.

He has robbed three Bank of America branches, in North Providence and Warwick, R.I., and in in Seekonk, Mass. The Bearded Bandit has also robbed a Citizens Bank in Cranston, R.I.

“The individual who has been dubbed the ‘Bearded Bandit’ is a dangerous felon who needs to be brought to justice and it is likely that someone from the public will help us do just that,” Major Robert W. Ryan of the Cranston Police Department said in a statement.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the charge and arrest of the robber. Anyone with information regarding the “Bearded Bandit” is asked to call the FBI at 617-742-5533 or call the Seekonk, Cranston, Warwick, or North Providence departments.