Fall River Man Convicted of Stealing Moped While Armed With a Knife

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Fall River man was convicted Tuesday of robbing two teenage victims at knifepoint in early July of 2022.

Ronald DeCosta, 32, was convicted after a one-day trial of armed robbery. He was sentenced to serve 12 to 15 years in state prison.

The charges date to July 5, 2022, when Fall River Police were dispatched to the Quequechan Rail Trail for a reported armed robbery.

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A 17-year-old boy and his 16-year-old girlfriend were allegedly riding a moped down the trail when they came to a stop. During this time, two unknown men approached the victims, one of whom was later identified as DeCosta.

According to court documents, DeCosta approached the male victim, allegedly pulled a knife at him, and said, "run your pockets." The other suspect was also holding a knife.

Both men then got onto the victim's moped and left the area while the two victims fled the scene on foot.

Shortly after, police were dispatched to a male walking a moped down Rodman Street.  The male matched the reported description of DeCosta previously given by the victims.

An officer also observed the moped DeCosta was in possession of, which was the same one the victims reported stolen.

Before this arrest, DeCosta was previously convicted of various offenses and served two previous state prison sentences.