Red Bull can left in casino leads FBI to man suspected in 14 bank robberies, feds say
A can of Red Bull found in a Massachusetts casino led the FBI to a man suspected of carrying out 14 bank and credit union robberies over the course of a year, officials said.
Federal officials investigating the string of robberies, which occurred throughout New England between 2021 and 2022, concluded that they appeared to have been pulled off by one person, according to a Dec. 1 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Taylor Dziczek of Massachusetts, officials said.
During one of the hold-ups in Connecticut, Dziczek approached a bank teller, brandished a firearm and said “Give me all the money,” the release said. He added, “Don‘t be a hero,” according to officials.
Once the cash was handed over, he discarded paper money wrappers inside the bank and fled, officials said. Police collected the abandoned wrappers as evidence.
An attorney for Dziczek could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News.
In February, the FBI announced a $10,000 reward would be given to individuals who provided information leading to Dziczek’s capture, according to NBC Boston.
“We need to put a stop to this man’s crime spree before someone gets hurt. He’s considered armed and dangerous,” Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, stated at the time, according to the outlet.
About five months after the Connecticut bank robbery, FBI agents observed Dziczek at the MGM casino in Springfield, Massachusetts, and obtained a can of Red Bull that he had been seen drinking, officials said.
An analysis of DNA found on a straw in the can was then matched with the DNA evidence from the money wrappers left at the Connecticut bank, officials said.
Dziczek was arrested on Dec. 1 and has been charged with bank robbery, a charge with a maximum sentence of 20 years, according to officials.
The investigation remains ongoing and is being conducted by more than a dozen police departments in New England in coordination with the FBI, officials said.
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Red Bull can left in casino leads FBI to man suspected in 14 bank robberies, feds say."