Toronto man pleads guilty to robbing 5 banks during Christmas season

Jeffrey Laviolette, 41, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of robbery with a knife. The charges stem from a spree of five bank robberies over a 10-day period during the Christmas 2024 season. The admitted robberies occurred on Dec. 20 and Dec. 30, 2024.

Laviolette did not plead guilty to three other robbery counts. However, the prosecution stated the facts of those incidents would be presented as aggravating factors during sentencing. In each robbery, Laviolette entered the bank on foot, armed with a knife, and demanded between $2,000 and $3,000. His face was not concealed in any of the instances.

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Give me $2,000. I'm not here to hurt anybody. I'm not here to hurt you.

A red Mazda sedan associated with Laviolette was used in two of the robberies. The first incident on Dec. 20 involved a Scotiabank where Laviolette approached a teller, stating, "Give me $2,000. I'm not here to hurt anybody." He accepted $250, which was all the teller could provide, and fled on foot towards the waiting sedan.

Subsequent robberies included a Royal Bank on Dec. 21, where he received $6,000, and a Bank of Montreal on Dec. 23, where he was given $500. On Dec. 27, he robbed another Bank of Montreal, taking $600 and saying, "That will do. Merry Christmas." The final robbery occurred on Dec. 30.

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That will do. Merry Christmas.