Man sentenced to 6 years for robbing bank with a machete

A man who robbed a bank in Delray Beach of a little more than $1,000 while brandishing a machete has been sentenced to six-anda-half years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Herve Fils Viaud, 31, pleaded guilty to bank robbery with the use of a dangerous weapon and one count of felon in possession of ammunition in August and was sentenced Wednesday.

After his release from federal prison, Viaud will be on supervised release for five years, prosecutors said.

Viaud entered the TD Bank at 969 SE Fifth Ave. on Feb. 1 about 10:30 a.m. wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a mask and approached the bank’s assistant manager with the machete. He threatened to use the machete if he wasn’t handed money, the criminal complaint said.

He left with $1,234 in a bag, which included bait money and a tracker. Delray Beach Police officers and Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies chased Viaud using the trackers in the money he stole, the complaint said. Before the bank robbery, Viaud’s car already had a tracker placed on it as part of a state investigation with the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office investigation into ATM thefts.

The pursuit ended in Miami Gardens, leading to a standoff and Viaud throwing money out of the car window, the complaint said. After his arrest, authorities found in his car 13 rounds of ammunition that was manufactured in another state.